


Gravity Heroes

by fereality



Series: Gravity Heroes [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, F/M, Piedmont & Gravity Falls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:39:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 71
Words: 248,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8008465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fereality/pseuds/fereality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few months after the Mystery Twins head home from Gravity Falls Mabel gets a call from Soos telling her that Dipper was found turned to stone out in the woods. The problem is Dipper is standing right next to her. This leads them off to a new adventure. Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1  
Monday, September 17th, 2012  
Piedmont, California**

“See you next year” says the teenager as he rereads the note again for the umpteenth time. It's weird, it's only been a couple of weeks and it already feels like it's been a lifetime since he had received the note as he & his sister were Gravity Falls. All of his friends are back there, heck even Robbie signed the note. He adjusted his now ever present lumberjack cap and looked over the note with a wishful sigh.

“Thinking about Wendy again, bro-bro?”, His sister asked as she stood in the doorway to his room.

“Nah, well maybe a lil bit,” Dipper says as he sits up on the side of his bed. He folds the letter up and places it inside the blue journal with a silver pinetree emblem on the front of it that he got from his Grunkle Ford. “mostly I'm bored and wishing we had been able to stay with everyone. What I wouldn't give to find a new mystery, run across a gnome, or sheesh I wouldn't even mind seeing Robbie.”

“Whoa. I never thought I'd hear you says that last one. You are really missing them aren't you.” with that she steps into his room. Even though it's still the same room he's had all his life it still feel weird to Mabel to be back in separate rooms after sharing one all summer. 

“It's just there we were doing something, we had friends, family, and here it really almost feels pointless. Yeah our parents are here, but really...”, he gets up and starts pacing around his room. “I mean I know they loves us. Really this doesn't feel like home anymore.” 

**Gravity Falls, Oregon  
Somewhere in the woods outside of town. **

Two boys appear to be out for a run through the woods. Though the path they are on seems to split and turn on a dime, they seem to know it very well as if they travel it daily. They duck under low hanging branches and ump over fallen logs like it was nothing. And through out this run they seem to be carrying on a conversation as if they were taking a slow stroll. 

“We need to be more careful, we don't have him around to take the blame if either of us gets caught.” Said the boy in the blue/white hat with the #3 on the front as he leads them further into the woods, “It certainly was easier to just take our hat off and walk around town while he was still here.”

They continued down the path at leisurely speed. 

“You don't have to tell me twice, Tony.”, Answered his apparent twin with a #4 on his hat, “I nearly got caught in a bear trap during our last supply run.” 

“I tried to remind you to not mess around the Corduroy’s house, Francis.”, the one named Tony replied, “Their whole family are of the 'Shoot First, Ask Questions Later' school of thought, well ok not Wendy. Wait you went there just to see her didn't you?”

“No, no we both agreed to leave her for Dipper. I was there looking for warmer clothes, winter is gonna be here soon. Besides I'm actually more interested in his sister's friend...” 

*Rustle*

“Whoa, quiet. Did you hear something?”, Francis said as he makes a sudden stop and quickly looks around at his twin not realizing his hat got knocked off by a low branch. 

“No.”, Tony said as he slowed to see what his twin was looking to find. 

*Crack*

“Ok, that time I did. It came from over ther...”, turning quickly towards the source of the sound and as he turned to look back at his twin he was shocked to not see him, “Francis? Where'd you go?”

Tony spent the rest of the night searching for his twin.

**Thursday, October 18th, 2012 around 3:30 pm  
Piedmont, California**

“If 2a + 3b equals 26 solve for a...”, Dipper says as he's sitting at his desk doing homework. 8th grade wasn't as bad as it was made out to be and then next year he and Mabel will be freshmen. Realizing he was talking to himself, he refocused on his work as he began to chew on his pencil's eraser. He settles down to tackle his home work when he heard 'Straight Blanchin' coming from the hallway. As he turns to find out why that incessantly annoying song was now playing in the house, he took a look over his room. The room was mostly tidy, books shelved by subjects and then alphabetically. His TV was on top of his Chester drawers with a stack of B-Movie DVDs that he had picked up from a few used book stores so he'd have some for movie nights with Wendy the next time he was up in Gravity Falls. 

“Got it.”, Mabel said to no one in particular especially since it was her phone that was ringing.

“Hey Soos, wassup dude?”, she said as she answered the phone, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down man.” She felt the blood drain from her face as she finally heard what her friend was saying. “What do you mean they found Dipper turned into solid stone? I thought we got rid of the lingering eyebats before we left Gravity Falls?”

Suddenly she realized what she had said and rushed towards Dipper's room, “Wait a minute! Dipper! Dipper! Where are you?”, she yelled as she got closer to his bedroom door. 

Hearing her yelling for him, Dipper dropped what he was doing and ran towards his door, “Whoa sis, what's wrong?” Looking like she had seen a ghost he grabbed her to try and calm her down. 

“Oh lord, you're safe. Soossaystheresastoneyou...” Mabel rambled on not even trying to take a breath as she tried to relay what she had just had just heard.

“Slow down and take a deep breath.” He told his panicking sister as he softly shakes her, as she listens to his request, “What has gotten you so worked up. You haven't had too much candy today, have you?”

“I'm talking to Soos and he says that Manly Dan and some other lumberjacks found you out in the forest turned to stone. And no I haven't, I've only had three bags of sour gummy squids.”

“What, here give me that,” he says as he grabs the phone from her hands and puts it up to his ear. “Alright Soos, tell me exactly what's going on.”

**Mystery Shack  
Gravity Falls, Oregon**

“Dude, it's you! Dawg, I'm so glad to hear your voice.”, Soos tears up as he looks over the people gathered at the Shack, “Dan was out in the woods gathering up some some of the fallen logs to start getting ready for an up coming bonfire, when he came across a shredded blue & white hat laying out in his path. He, he thought it was Wendy's...”

Soos had to pull the phone away from his ear as loud high pitch cracking voice asking, “She-e's o-k, right?”, he looked over towards Wendy and saw she was already up on her feet and heading towards him.

“I'm good,” Wendy huffed half laughing, half crying as she wrenched the phone out of Soos's large hands. Quieter she says, “I was worried sick about you, you doof.”

Soos calmly takes the phone back, “As I was saying Dipster, Dan followed the path the hat was on and finally came across what he thought was a carved statue of you. He brought it to the shack to see if we wanted to add it to the displays thinking on of our woodland friends had carved it and to check on Wendy.” 

Soos took a deep breath and continued, “Once he got it here, we looked it over and we noticed the work was too smooth. There were no chisel marks or anything. Then Wendy noticed something she said you had shared with her and even with most of the eyebats gone, we were worried you had came back for some reason and got caught. Heck, we even tried your phone and didn't get an answer. We were all scared, dawg.”

Soos walked over to Melody and gave her a quick hug as Wendy received a surprisingly gentle hug from her father. 

**Piedmont, California**

'Wendy was worried about me, I wonder what she saw? Wait a minute that's right they said he didn't have a hat, she must have seen my birthmark.' Dipper thought as he processed what Soos was telling him.

“We've been either home or at school since the bus dropped us off, Soos. As for my phone, I must've forgotten to take it off of silent after school.”, Dipper replied after checking his phone, while pacing around his room. He wished he was up there to help comfort his friends, nah his family, in Gravity Falls. 

“What exactly is going on up there, Dipper?”, Mabel asked after getting tired of listening to only one side of the conversation, “Com'on broseph, I'm only getting half of the info here.”, And with that she tries to take the phone back from him. 

Signaling Mabel to hold off and mouthing that he'd tell her in a moment he turned his attention back to the conversation he was having with Soos, “Have you told Stan or Ford about this yet?” 

**Back at the Shack**

“Nah, dude. Last I heard from them they were just reaching the general area they were gonna be checking out. We wanted to check on you before we worried them. You know both Stan and Ford would've dropped everything and rushed back here if this was really you, dawg.”, Soos said in much calmer voice. He turns and again realizes Wendy is standing right next to him. 

Wendy again takes the phone from Soos, “Tell you what Dip, we'll start looking around here to see what we can find out. I'll tell the gang to stay out of the woods for now, or at least not to go in without being in pairs, so this hopefully won't happen to someone else.” She listens for a moment and responds, “Yeah, we pass it on to Geoff so he can pass it on to the rest of the wood dwellers.” She then walks slightly away from everyone else and whispers, “Call me later tonight, I really need to talk to you. Ok?”

**Piedmont, California**

'Whoa, she wants to talk to me alone. Ok play it cool here Dipper.' he thinks after he hears her voice. 

“Sure, around 9 ok?”, he says back to her and he could almost hear her smile. “Tell everyone we'll hit the library tomorrow to see if we can come up with anything that might be able to do this. Maybe some one can check the library in town and maybe the lair of the Blind Eye Society. I'll also see if there is anything mentioned in the pages we found that Grunkle Stan had photocopied from Journal #3. Also tell Soos we'll call again tomorrow whether we come up with anything or not. I'll talk to you later. Tell everyone bye for us.” 

“Waddles says bye also.”, Mabel yells loud enough to be heard over the phone.

After he hangs up the phone and giving it back to Mabel, he turns towards her and starts to explain things to her (leaving out that Wendy wants to talk to him alone).


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 **

**Dipper's Room**

After Dipper had just got done discussing everything with Mabel, he scooted her out of his room under the guise of them both having homework to get done. He gave her a few moments to clear away while he pretended to to get back to his Algebra work, once he was certain she was gone he fired up his computer and hit the net. He was researching creatures that are supposed to be able to turn people to stone. 

“Hmm. We know the eyebats. Uhmm there's gorgons, but we would've had more victims and they're know for going after extreme beauties and I know I'm no hunk. Hmm.” He scratches his head under the hat, “There are legends say that some vampires are able to do it,” he taps the keys a few more times, “Uhmm, well there's some stuff about gargoyles...” He went on like this for a good half hour before he again hears foot falls coming down the hall towards his room. 

“Hey Dippingsauce, I just thought of a question,” Mabel said as she stuck her head back through his doorway, “If it's not you that was turned to stone then who was it?” 

“Oh, I hadn't thought about that. Let's see, well, do you remember the first dance Grunkle Stan hosted at the Shack?” he asked and then waited for her to shake her head in affirmative, “Remember how we found the copier earlier? How I had made a long drawn out plan on how to ask Wendy to dance? Remember how I got stuck working the ticket table?” 

Again there was another nod of Mabel's head, “Yeah, but you didn't mind that at first cause Wendy was there, but oh yeah she came in shortly after friends arrived. After that I lost track cause I met Grenda and Candy and then Pacifica and I started our feud over being the queen of the party.” 

“Well after she went in I tried to shut down the table to follow her in, but Stan caught me and wouldn't let me leave. When I finally got in I ended up creating a copy I named Tyrone. By the time I got back down stairs Robbie was already talking to her. To make a long story short...”, He stopped as he realized he left himself open for a reply from Mabel that frequently was used by one of the favorite movie directors. He shook his head as he knew what was coming. 

“Too Late,” she said sticking her tongue out at her brother.

“I created nearly a dozen clones in order to try and help me work through my list to ask Wendy to dance before they turned on me, when I realized I didn't need the list. I thought I dissolved all of them though. I can only guess that one of them got away…”, with that Dipper slaps himself in the head, “Oh, man how can I be so stupid. Two of them stole Robbie's bike and I don't remember them ever coming back.” 

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. So you stole Robbie's bike?”, she asked surprised to here her brother had committed a crime, “Also how did one of your copies survive this long?” 

“Uhmm, I guess in a way I did.” He said just realizing the fact himself, “As for how they could have survived, well I'm not sure. They had my memories up until the point in time that I copied them, maybe between them they figured out a place to get food, shelter, and supplies.”, he scratched his jaw for a moment, “Hell, they could've easily gotten into the Dusk to Dawn or found one of the caves. The only other idea I've got is that maybe the statue is the Shapeshifter. I didn't want him to get loose after the whole Weirdmageddon hullabaloo, so I checked on him before we left and he was still frozen..”

“Heh, you said hullabaloo. Bro, this has got to be getting to you. You're starting to talk like McGucket,. Hehe,” Mabel giggled a lil as she sat down in his desk chair and started to spin around. “So really it seems like it's most likely a photocopied clone of you that they have to add to the Hall of Mysteries.”

“Yeah,” He said wistfully as he remembers feeling bad as Tyrone was dissolving. 'Man I miss him,' he thought for a moment before he continued, “I wish we were up there, I'd really like to get a good look at this statue and the hat Dan found.”

“So, bro-bro, what are you doing at 9?”, Mabel asked with a mischievous smile as she saw him start to blush, “I'm not deaf, nor dumb. I heard you tell someone 'Sure, around 9 o'clock', and I'm pretty sure you were probably talking to Wendy at that point since you said for the person to tell Soos to do something.”

He walked over to the picture frame on his desk and took a long look at the object of his affection and best friend over the summer. 'You mean a lot to me, man.', he remembers her saying before she took his hat and gave him hers. He smiled at the thought as he absentmindedly adjusted her hat. 'I wonder what she wants to talk about, she still sounded worried when I was talking to her earlier. I hope she's doing ok?'

“Bro, bro, bro, HEY Dipper!”, Mabel finally yells to get his attention after having been talking to him for a couple of minutes while even waving her hands in his face. 

He jumped back after she yelled in his ear and finally responded, “Sheesh, Mabel, no need to yell.”, he then rubbed his ear like it was sore. 

“Sorry broseph,” Mabel apologized, “but I've asked you a like a bazillon times who you're going be talking to at 9 and you still haven't answered. Your eyes went glassy and you looked like some had zapped you with the memory gun there for a moment.” 

“Sorry I was just trying to figure this stuff out,” Dipper fibbed to her, not wishing to get more teasing from his sister about Wendy. “I'm just gonna call Wendy tonight to see if she's found out anything from her friends.”, and with that he motioned for her to get out of his desk chair. 

“You're still hung up on her, aren't you?”, Mabel asked even though she knew the answer. 'He just can't move on like I've learned to do.' she thought.

“Look Mabel, I need to get back to my homework and you probably need too also. We'll talk about this more tomorrow,” and with that he pulled his Algebra book back in front of him and seemingly dived tight back into his homework. He heard her mumble something and left his room. He felt bad about kicking her out but his mind was already trying to piece together all the information he had learned today and there was still the pending call later tonight that had him a lil worried. 

**Mabel's Room**

To anyone who only vaguely knew Mabel a look at her room now compared to the way it was before she had went up to her Grunkle Stan's home, there would be no noticeable difference. There was her piles of craft supplies all around her desk, her teen magazines strewn about, and even a few romance novels on her night stand. The biggest difference is the lack of anything Unicorn related and the fact there was only one Several Timez poster on her wall. In place of most of the unicorns it seems she has come to be fixated on llamas. Her summer scrap book is laying out in the open, almost prominently displayed, in the middle of her bed surrounded by some of her stuffed animals. That collection had shrunk also though you couldn't tell it by looking at them, but after her admission she had in the lair of the Society of the Blind Eye she decided to donate the stuffed animals she loved less than the others to a local charity. 

“Stupid Dipper, who does he think he's fooling? He knows that I know him almost better than he knows himself.”, She muttering to herself as she heads into her room, “Like he really needs to 'Buckle Down' to get his homework done.” even though she is alone she still does the air quote motions as she mentioned buckling down. “He did most of it on the bus. I was there. He just doesn't want my in there asking about Wenders. I bet they were freaking out when they saw that statue of him.” 

She walks over and sits down on her bed. She starts absentmindedly thumbing through her scrapbook till she got to the page marked '[Failed] Summer Romances'. She looks over the pics and wonders why she even bothered. As she looks at each pics something in her subconscious kept nagging around the edge of her thoughts but never seemingly able to reach her conscious thoughts. Even now at school she seems to have an easier time talking and dealing with her female friends. The guys in her grade really seem to be worried more about video games or sports. The two guys who have tried to ask her out were both jocks who really had more muscles than brains and really there was something about them that reminded her of Gideon, maybe it was some sort of smarmy self centered attitudes.

“I may as well go ahead and get this work done before dinner,” she said to no one in particular. 

**Dipper's Room**

Dinner had been good. Dad had made tacos. Neither of the twins mentioned any of the info they had gotten earlier from there friends. After eating it was Mabel's turn to do dishes so Dipper had come back up to his room and started going through the 3 ring binder he had put the photocopied collection of pages he had from Journal #3. So far he was still getting information on the same species he had found online earlier. He took out his phone to check the time and realized he had been reading the journal for nearly an hour and it was almost 9. He waited a few minutes for the clock to hit 9 and finally hit the first number he had put into his speed dial. 

It was answered on the second ring. “Is this you, doofus?”, Wendy asked as she answered. 

“Yeah. Are you ok? You sounded bad earlier.”, He asked with real concern in his voice. 

“Yeah, man. I'm better. I was worried I had lost my boy. I really didn't want to think it was you that dad had brought into the shack. I mean, man, it looked a lot like you. But then I walked up to the statue and saw your birthmark. I know you don't like people to see it, so I was pretty sure that it wasn't a carving. That's a detail only someone close to you would know. I started freaking out man. I, I,” she started stammering. The coolest, calmest person Dipper knew started breaking down again, “I thought I'd lost you. I didn't know what to do. It took both dad and Soos to keep me from going out into the woods and finding out who or what did this to you, dork. Dad didn't mention the hat until after I mentioned I had seen some unique sign that told me it was you. They finally settled me down enough to agree to let Soos try calling you. Even then I was afraid I'd hear the ring-tone coming out of the jacket the statue is wearing. He tried three times before he decided to try Mabel's cell.” She was now almost rambling and Dipper thought it would be best to let his friend get everything out before he tried to respond, “You don't know how happy I was that Soos reached her only for it to suddenly stop when we heard her running looking for you. When you yelled worrying about me, it was the sweetest sound I had heard in I don't know how long, man.” 

“It was just as good hearing your voice too, Wendy. I've been so bored down here. I miss Gravity Falls and hanging out with you whenever I can. I've been hitting used book stores and dvd resale shops and buying all B  & C grade movies I could find to have ready for the next movie night we get to have.”, Dipper started telling her in the calmest, most soothing way he can. 

“No, you don't get it man, I really thought I lost you. I've been cool with just missing you because I knew you'd be coming back some day, I really thought I wasn't gonna have you back and there would've been nothing I could've done to prevent it or even been there when you needed me. I don't know what I've done if that had happened.”, Wendy was starting to sound like she was about to break down again, “I meant what I said to you as you were about to get on the bus, dork. You really mean a lot to me, a whole lot.” 

'Is she saying what I think she is saying?' Dipper thought to himself. 'I really can't be hearing this right. I mean she knows I love her, but she also knows I'm happy to just be friends and to just be around her.' 

“Dipper, the next time you're up here, man, I want you to tell me again what you said at the bunker. I'm not promising the answer will be different but I'm also not saying it'll be the same.” Wendy actually felt a warm flush come over her as she said those words and knowing her young friend she added, “And no I don't hear it over the phone, so please wait till you see me, I want it to be in person. Ok?” 

“O-ok.” Dipper said with a slight stammer and a crack in his voice, “I promise I will ask you the next time I'm up there.” 

“Well, now that that's out of the way, let's catch up a lil man.” Wendy said trying to calm her nerve and the rest of her down, “What have you been up to, staying out of trouble?" 

“Of course I am, I don't have you and Stan down here to influence me to do wrong.” He says with a lil bit of a chuckle in his voice, “It doesn't help this area has nearly zero supernatural happenings. Like I said earlier I have about two dozen dvd's to bring up for our movie nights. And Mabel and I may have an idea as to who that statue is...”, this last came out with a slight hesitation. 

“Wait. What.”, Wendy rushed to ask, “Who, what is it? It, it had your birthmark.” 

“Well I think it may be a clone of me...”, as Dipper started to explain, he paused to take a deep breath. “A what?”, Wendy asked incredulously. 

“A clone, well technically a photocopy.”, Dipper said with a hint of sadness in his voice, “Remember the party Grunkle Stan through shortly after Mabel and I arrived in Gravity Falls. Well he wanted me and Mabel to copy some fliers to advertise it and asked us to just use his old copier. Well it was a hunk of junk but we still tried it. It accidentally went off with my arm on the screen and the next thing we knew a sheet of paper popped out with a copy of my arm on it, nothing unusual there but then my arm pulled itself off of the paper and started coming towards us. Thanks to a spilled Pitt cola we found out they were highly soluble. And really thought nothing about it until later.” 

“Ok, yeah I remember that night. We got stuck working the ticket table, until you covered for me so I could go in and dance some. Also I think Robbie's bike got stolen at that party.”, Wendy thought back onto that night, “Wait you didn't have anything to do with that, did you?” 

“Uhmm, guilty in a way. Let me continue.” He asked as he started pacing in his room again, worried that she would feel less of him after he was done, “After you went in I tried to head in myself but Stan stopped me. After a lil bit I remembered the copier and decided to try and see if it would work out on a full scale copy of me. It worked perfectly the only differences I could tell was was he seemed slightly faded and had no tree on his hat. I ended up naming him Tyrone.” 

“Ok. I guess I'm following so far, but I have a question. Why was it so important that you got into the party, man? I mean it was ok, but definitely not worth getting in trouble with Stan over. Or was it something else...”, she suddenly she cut off as it came to her, in a whisper she asked, “or someone else?” 

“Yeah, I was trying to get in to the party in order to ask you to dance. I was already heads over heels for you then.”, he felt himself blush as he was telling her this, unbeknownst to him though so was Wendy, “But as usual I was over thinking things, I had a list I was trying to follow and as the evening wore on it seemingly got tougher and I ended up creating more copies, two of which stole Robbie's bike and never came back. So yeah, in a way I stole his bike. But my plans kept getting more complicated and then suddenly we ran into each other and just started talking and I realized I didn't need the plan I had made. After I told the others they turned on and tried to lock me in a closet. I ended up escaping and dissolving them, only for you to leave with Robbie.” 

“Aw, man. If you had just asked I would've danced with you. Even back then you had already become one of my boys.”, she said thinking back. 

“I, I wish I had known. Man, why was I such an idiot!” He said as he stopped pacing and slammed his hand against his forehead. 

“So you're thinking that the statue is one of your clones who got turned to stone? Whoa that means you literally fought yourself just to have a chance at dancing with me, man I don't know what to say.” Wendy said with her cheeks feeling more flush. “For a lil bit after we talked earlier I was wondering if it may have been the Shapeshifter.” 

“I checked on him before we left, he was still a freezer pop.” 

“Well just to be safe I'll take a trip out to the bunker and check on it. And don't worry, I'll see if I can get Soos to come with me.”, she said as she realized that he would be as worried about her as she was about him earlier. 

“Ok, in my old room taped to the top drawer is an envelope containing the four emblems you need to open the inner door.” he said knowing he wouldn't be able to change her mind if he tried, “Please be careful. Remember you mean a lot to me.” He added paraphrasing what she told him before he left Gravity Falls. 

“You too!”, she said with a smile on her face that he felt like he could see over the phone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are at the end of Chapter 2. Now that the background is finally done I'm gonna start building up the action and mysteries. As of writing this I've watch the finale a total of 12 times and it still tears me up. I'm really gonna miss this show something fierce. The last three series that hit me this hard was Kim Possible, Phineas & Ferb, and Night Court. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 19-15 6-1-18 23-5 8-1-22-5 14-15-20 8-1-4 20-8-5 16-12-5-1-19-21-18-5 15-6 11-14-15-23-9-14-7 23-6-15 19-20-15-145-4 6-18-1-14-3-9-19


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

**Gravity Falls  
Friday October 19th, 2012 4:30pm**

“Wendy dood, are you sure we should be here? The last time we were it nearly didn't turn out that great.”, Soos said as the two of them pulled up in front of the tree that houses the bunker in one of the Mystery Carts.

“Yeah it's safe man. Dipper said he had checked the place out before they left to make sure that the shifter hadn't unfroze. All we're gonna do is go down and make sure things are still chill.”, Wendy said in her normal calm manner, but Soos noticed that she not only had her trusty ax with her she also brought the crossbow she used a few months ago. 

“Well let's get this done, dood.”, And with that Soos picked up a rock and threw it straight at the branch lever that opens up the secret passageway. “Yes! The practice pays off.”, He says to no one in particular. 

Once they get down to the first chamber they notice that it looks a lil different then the last time. It looked cleaner, almost as if someone had came down here with a group of maids and shined everything up. Gone were the cobwebs and the grime. The boxes on the shelves seemed to have been reorganized and there were even more of them. The weapon cabinet was even rearranged and fuller. They recognized one of the Blind Eye guns, the flash light with the size changing crystal, and something that looked sorta like the magna gun Dipper described. And then there were a few things in a locked case that they didn't recognize. Like what appears to be a set of lightly glowing dentures, a yellow tape measure with an infinity emblem on it, a spear made of bone and stone, a lumber jack ax that Wendy felt as if she could almost see right through it, and what appear to be two bolo ties one with a red gem and the other with a green gem. As she turned away from the case she felt a light sensation like she was being pulled back to the case and then as suddenly as it started the feeling was gone.

“Ok dood, this is weird. It looks like someone brought a janitor down here. And a lot of this stuff looks like Dipper's gear. There's a few boxes of chiprackers over here. What's going on here?”, Soos asked as they continued to look around. “Hey, even the Smez dispenser has been refilled.”

“I'm not sure. Maybe this is where Dipper decided to store the stuff he didn't want to leave at the shack. We can ask him later,” Wendy said as she looked around. “let's go check on what we came here for.” 

She walked over to where the door to the room was hidden only to realize the poster covering had been changed to one from a group named “The Bad First Impressions”. Ok, now she was fairly certain she knew what was going on here. They were one of Dipper's favorite bands. He must have been spending more time here then he was letting on before he left. Though she wondered why he would feel the need hide it from everyone, to hide it from her. 

“Ok, remember we need to hit these four symbols,” Wendy said to Soos as they stepped into the trap room, “also watch out for the trigger step I'd rather do this with out the threat of being squished.”

“No argument here,” The big man said as he finally reached up to tag the last emblem. 

As they entered into the lab control room they saw that it too had been cleaned up and some of the equipment even seemed to have been replaced and updated. All the screens were now in color and at a higher resolution than they had seen outside of a movie theater.

Wendy looked over at the metal closet, that she now knows is a decontamination chamber, where Mabel had locked her and Dipper in. It was Mabel's attempt to get her brother to admit to that he had feelings for me. I still don't know whether I should thank her for that or not. Suddenly she hears a gasp coming from Soos and turns to see him backing away from something standing in one corner. 

“What's wrong Soos?”, she asks as she whips out her ax and rushes forward to help out her boss and friend. Only to see he's backing away from what appears to be a rolled up yellow and blue carpet.

“I thought we had gotten rid of this thing.” he said with what almost sounded like a pig-esque squeal at the end of the statement. 

“What's wrong, man? It's only a rug. It can't hurt you.”, she said till she saw his face was looking slightly scared, “Can it?” 

“I was stuck in Waddles body for most of a day and nearly eaten by McGucket due to that thing, though thanks to Waddles I did get to make out with a real cutie for a lil bit. Heh. Uhm, we don't tell that part to Melody, ok dawg?”, he said as he turned away from the carpet.

Wendy made as if the was zipping her lips and then threw away the key before replying, “Man. So you were like a pig for a day, that had to be weird?” 

“Yeah, but at least I didn't have to get the 'Birds & Bees' talk from Stan like Mabel did while she was in Dipper's body.”, Soos replied with out even realizing what he was saying nor noticing the shocked look on Wendy's face, “The only good thing about that day was I got a new break room.”

“Ok. ok. Let's get back to what we came here to do.”, Wendy said after she tried to get the information she had just heard out of her head. She headed over to the screens and looked over them before finding the one she was looking for seeing the form of Dipper frozen in the cryotube, “Ok. From here it looks like the troublemaker is still in isolation.”, Looking through the screens she saw that it appears even the cryogenics tubes had been repaired. 

“Well that's good enough for me, let's head back to the Shack.”, Soos said as he started heading back out the way they came. 

As she was heading out something caught her eye, it was the Dipper sock puppet Mabel had made to try to impress the creepy puppeteer she had had a crush on awhile back. To think that was actually the second time the twins had faced and defeated Bill, man they were something. She then turned from the puppet and followed her friend back out of the bunker. As they got to the main entrance room Wendy again felt a slight pull towards the weapons chest, only for it to disappear again. 

“We need to make one more quick stop before we head back, Soos.”, Wendy said as she got behind the steering wheel of the cart and without even waiting for his reply she started heading out towards Gnasty's, the Gnome bar that she realized would be the easiest way to spread around the warning they had promised Dipper last night that they would send out. She stopped a short distance away and they walked the rest of the way. When the got there Wendy suggested that Soos stayed outside seeing as he was almost bigger than the tree stump that was used to make the building.  
Like last time she was her she just straight up slammed the door open and shouted, “Alright short stuffs, I'm looking for Geoff or somebody who can get a message to him.” 

**Piedmont, California  
Piedmont Public Library**

“Tell me again why I have to be here with you doing this? It's so boring here.”, Mabel complained after flipping through a book thicker than her arm. 

“Well we wouldn't want our folks worrying about what we're doing. Remember they don't know what we went through up there and if we ever want to have a chance to get to go back we can't let them know. They wouldn't be able to handle it.”, Dipper said as he delved through a stack of books on arcane and mythological natures, “I'd check out a couple of these and say I was researching for an assignment, but I'm not taking any classes this semester that would require me to write about Gorgons, Gargoyles, etc.” 

“Ok, that still doesn't explain why I have to be here?”, Mabel asked again. She picked up one of the books and realized it was mostly an art book and actually started to get interested. 

“I needed you here so we could go through the books faster, remember we need to try and get this figured out so we can try to keep our friends safe.”, he said as he looked over and saw she was now engrossed in 'Venkman's Visual Guide To The Paranormal', “I just thought of something, we warned those at the Shack but have you warned your friends.” 

“Shoot!”, Mabel practically yelled. Then she realized where she was and quietly said to no one in particular, “Sorry. Oh man, I need to warn Candy, Grenda, & Pacifica.”, she quickly whipped her cell phone out and started texting her Gravity Falls crew. After she receive the first response she quickly turned her ring-tone to the meeting setting after letting out another quiet, “Sorry.”

After another 10 books and a half hour later they finally gathered up a few books to check out including the 'Venkman's Guide', tossed them into his backpack, and finally headed home. They figured it'd be close to dinner time when they finally got home. Luckily most of their homework was easily done so it wouldn't take that long. Dipper really wanted to get back to his research before he called the shack tonight. 

“How'd it go with the girls?”, Dipper asked as they walked.

“Well, they promised to spread the word through their respective cliques which should cover at least 2/3rds of the jr high.”, Mabel responded.

“Wait! Candy & Grenda aren't in the same circle of of friends?”, Dipper said with a lil bit of shock on his face. 

“Well they're still among the outcasts but Grenda is also part of the jocks due to her joining the wrestling squad and Candy is part of both the school band and science club. Oh and the fact that Grenda's dating a European count has seemed to do wonders for their popularity.”, Mabel explained.

“That's good to hear, Hopefully with the three of them spreading the word there won't be too much trouble.” he said as he was looking over at his sister, realizing they were near their home. As he turns back he let's out a resounding “oof” as he runs into a wall of cloth and bulk. 

“Watch where your going jerk”, the obstacle said menacingly, “Oh, never mind it's not a jerk, it's the dorky tweeb Dumper.”, That earned a few snickers from the two guys who are with him.

“Oh, hi Jimmy.” Dipper said with a scowl as he took a step back to see the face of the person who was talking to him.

“James,” Mabel said with a lil shock, “What are you doing here? Don't you have a football game tonight?”, she asked the human wall her brother ran into.

“Actually tonight was just a practice, so me and the guys were on our way to find you Mabel.”, Jimmy said as he turned his attention away from Dipper, though his friends hadn't. “I wanted to know if you had time to rethink about what I asked ya earlier?”, he asked.

Mabel looked at him for a moment. He really wasn't bad looking; 5'6”, dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, beginning of a strong jawline, & mostly muscle, but he was also one of the biggest jerks in their school. The type that thinks just because he was on the football team and bigger than most of his class mates that it made him better than everyone, “James, I told you earlier I don't want to go see a movie with you. You're not my type.”

“Not your type, babe, I'm every girls type. There's not a girl in the school who wouldn't want to be you right now.”, he said not believing what he's hearing. He starts to take a step towards her when suddenly a firm grip on his arm stops him. 

“She. Said. No!”, Dipper says as he turns Jimmy away from Mabel. With Dipper being nearly a foot shorter than Jimmy it would have been a laughable sight if Jimmy didn't have pure hate flowing off of his face. His friends saw this and smiled till they looked at Dipper and realized he wasn't fazed in the slightest. 

Jimmy swings and lands a punch directly in Dipper's gut knocking him down to one knee. He started to laugh as he readied to again hit Dipper, then suddenly he had the air knocked out of his as Dipper swung his left up and nailed Jimmy straight in the crotch. Jimmy's friends stunned that Dipper was fighting back didn't notice that Dipper had pulled his other arm out of his backpack strap. 

“You should know Jimmy, I'm not the same little bookworm you've picked on since 3rd grade. I've learned a few things over the summer. One of them is you don't need to fight fair when you're out numbered.” and with that he gripped his backpack strap and swung the book laden backpack straight into the side of Jimmy's head sending the jock flying. He then looked at Jimmy's friends and said, “Alright, either of you want some? If not take this piece of trash away from my house!” 

The other two jocks thought about it for a moment, still having him out numbered 2-1, until they saw Mabel push up the sleeves of her sweater and join her brother's side. They both know her history of sticking up for her brother and how many bullies got knocked down a few pegs by her after messing with Dipper. They ended up grabbing Jimmy and leaving as fast as they could. 

“Thanks bro-bro, I really didn't...” Mabel started saying as she turned towards her brother. Then she noticed he was shaking like a leaf, “Dipper, are you ok?” She asked as she grabbed his shoulder to try and comfort him. 

He started to respond when he heard “Dipper. Mabel. Both of you get in this house this instant.” 

Their father was standing in their front door. He looked flustered and upset. They both grabbed their bags and headed into the house. They dropped their backpacks on the landing of the stairs up to their rooms. They then headed back to their father. 

“What was going out there?” he asked them as soon as they got back to him. He then continued without giving them a chance to explain, “Dipper I saw you hit that boy in the crotch, why in the world would you do that?”

“Easy dad, I was defending myself. That jerk has been picking on me since 3rd grade and I've always just took it. Well I finally got tired of it.” With that Dipper just turned and went up the stairs grabbing his bag as he went. 

His dad just looked flabbergasted as he left. He started to follow him when his daughter grabbed his arm to stop him. 

“He was actually defending me dad, that jerk had asked me out earlier and I told him no. He started to move towards me when Dipper stepped in and got punched in the gut for his effort. What you saw is what happened after he'd been punched by the biggest guy on the school football team.” Mabel said with a look that said she was proud of her brother. “And he was telling the truth, Jimmy has been picking on Dipper forever. Usually I'm the one that has to save him from bullies.” Mabel told her father in a hushed tone. She then looked towards the stairs her brother had just stormed up. “One of our friends had trouble with her boyfriend up in Gravity Falls. After finally standing up to the guy for her, he helped the guy realize he was being a big jerk. He ended up becoming a decent friend before we left.” 

Her dad listened intently to her. After a moment he asked, “You mean he actually stood up to someone?” He then realized what he heard. “Wait you said it was a female friend, was it this Wendy we kept hearing about in your letters?” After seeing Mabel nod yes to both questions he continued, “So it took a young lady to help him come out of his shell?” He actually looked proud of his son at that question.

“If we're done dad I need to go check on Dipper.” She stated as she was already leaving him to head up the stairs.

**Dipper's Room**

He sits there in the dark with his head in his hands not sure if he can stop himself from shaking. The adrenaline rush that he didn't even know he was having was slowly wearing off. He had reacted almost without thinking when he saw Jimmy start to move towards Mabel and then he started to see every insult & punch from Jimmy in a haze of red. He had waited for Jimmy to hit him first so he would be able to claim self defense if needed, then he just hit him fast enough and hard enough to make him think twice about doing it next time. He knows he did the right thing but really it doesn't feel like he did enough. 

After a quick knock, Mabel opens the door and walks into her brother's room. “You ok in here, Dippingsauce? I explained everything to dad and he seems to understand.” She says as she tries to navigate his room in the dark. “You gonna turn a light on in here or am I gonna need to go get my lantern sweater?”

“Heh,” he snickered at that comment. “Sorry I took to long out there sis.”

“What are you talking about Bro-bro? You kicked some serious tail out there today.” Mabel said as she finally reached his desk and found his desk lamp, “And let there be light.” she said with a flourish. She then turned towards the area where she had heard her brother's voice coming. He was sitting in one corner with his head hanging down low. 

“I should have stopped him sis,” Dipper said with true sorrow in his voice.

“You did Dip.” she said with a wide smile on her face, doing her best to try and let her positive mood rub off on him, “I don't think he'll see straight for a week after what you did to him today.”

“No. I could have stopped this back in 3rd grade if I had just stood up to him then, but no I was too weak back then. It only took three months of living in a weirdness magnet, dealing with zombies, and the world nearly ending to toughen me up. And even then I only won this fight cause I took the low road.” he said without really lifting his head up to look at her.

“Bro, you just took out a guy who throws his self into a fight several times a night for fun. You sent him and his two cronies running with their tails tucked between their legs. And you did it to help me.”, she reached down and pulled him into a hug.

She heard the door bell chime and then the front door open. 

“Com'on, you need to get out of this funk.”

“Dipper. Mabel. I need the two of you down here now.” they hear their father yell up the stairwell.

“We better go see what he wants, especially if we're gonna try to do anymore research tonight. Don't forget we have friends that are still counting on us to help figure what's going on up there.”, Mabel says trying to get her brother to move. 

He finally gets up just before his father yells for them again. “Let's get this over with.” Dipper says as he heads through his door. 

As the twins walk down the hall to the stairs Mabel is really beginning to worry about her brother, even the thought of working on a mystery doesn't seem to have effected his attitude. She pulls out her phone and quickly types out a 'Need to talk' message and sends it to Wendy. Finally she heads downstairs. When she gets downstairs she sees Dipper & her father talking to some guy she doesn't know at the doorway.

“So you're telling me that your star football playing son was jumped and beaten up by my son with no provocation.” Her father was saying to the other gentleman. 

“Yeah, your lil hooligan jumped Jimmy and now he may not be able to play in the game next week!”, Jimmy's irate father started yelling drawing the attention of several neighbors.

Mabel was about to start defending her brother when Mrs. Fenster from across the street started to walk into their yard.

“Now you just wait a minute here young man, I saw the whole thing. Young Dipper was just defending himself from that ruffian you call a son.”, Mrs. Fenster said as she got to their front porch.

“Prove it, you old bag”, Jimmy's dad remarked. 

“Ok. Well I was out recording my lil Snubkins chasing his ball around the yard when I saw your son and two of his friends waiting just outside the Pines driveway, so being the head of the neighborhood watch I naturally recorded them in case they were thieves. Well then I noticed Dipper and Mabel coming home and as soon as your son them he started right for them. The rest you can see right here.” And with that she held up her tablet and replayed the entire incident for all to see.

“That lil liar, I'm sorry to have bothered you Mr. Pines, Dipper. I will make sure he doesn't get off scott free from this incident.”, Jimmy's dad apologized and turned to leave. “Ma'am, could I ask if your would be kind enough to send me a copy of the video so I can show my wife to explain why I'm pulling Jimmy from the football team, I didn't raise him to be a liar or a bully.” She agreed and he gave her his email address. After he left Mabel snuck over and asked for a copy herself to share with her Grunkle who she said had taught Dipper how to defend himself. Mrs. Fenster happily obliged. 

Dipper seemed to be in a lil bit better mood after this exchange. He realized that Jimmy was really just a bad seed, but still he was down in the dumps. When he got back up to his room he heard his phone going off, it was a call from Wendy.

“Hi Wendy how was your...” was all he got out before he was interrupted. 

“You doofus, what do you think you were doing? That guy was the size of Thompson but nearly all muscle. Man, you could have been hurt.”, Wendy said sounding overly concerned.

“I was standing up for Mabel, that jerk was trying to force her to go on a date with him. After both the Gideon incident and the whole Robbie ordeal I wasn't gonna just stand by and watch it happen. He's hit me several times in the past, so I knew how strong he could punch. I just rolled with the punch to get him to let his guard down and let him have it. I know you don't like guys fighting but this guy had finally pushed me too far.” Dipper explained.

“But you could have been hurt, you're smarter than that, Dip. You should have tried something different.”, Wendy tried. 

“Sorry, I've tried in the past. He's been tormenting me since 3rd grade. Remember the Valentine's flashback we saw in Mabel's bubble, this is the same guy who called me out then. He used to pick on me because I was the only one in class who was more socially awkward than he was, then he discovered a love for football and with in a year he went from 'big boned' to muscle bound freak. Ever since then he decided I would continue to be his whipping boy.” Dipper continued. “After everything I, no, we went through over the summer I finally decided I wasn't gonna take it anymore. Then he decides to go after Mabel because she turned him down for a date. No sir, no way he was gonna get close enough to even breath on her let alone touch her. If you don't want to talk to me for awhile cause of the fight I understand.” 

“Man, I'm sorry I didn't know.” Wendy replied, “There's no way you're gonna get rid of me that easy, ya doof. Like you said you were defending Mabel. You're forgiven. Just be more careful from now on. I want you to be able to come up again soon. You still have something to tell me again, remember.”

“Uh, yeah. T-that.” Dipper stuttered as his face suddenly started to get flush again. “Oh, boy. I almost did, but to be honest I have had a lot on my plate today.”

“You almost forgot, how dare you.” Wendy said with a mock snarky attitude, then she chuckled before she got serious, “Have you been able to get any more research done?” 

“I've come up with a few possibilities,” he replaced, “but with not actually being there to analyze things, they're just that possibilities. How's it going on your end?” 

“Soos and I checked the bunker.”Wendy replied. “By the way, when were you gonna tell us that you had started cleaning it up and stockpiling more than just food in there.”

“It was Ford's idea. He said it would give me a place to keep up my studies without having the whole house trying to bug me. We actually used the left over Unicorn hair to put another protection charm on the tree. He also knew I wouldn't be able to take anything dangerous home with me, so we decided to store them in the outer room so the shifter couldn't get them. Also he said having a trophy room was pretty cool, too.” he ended with a smile on his face that Wendy felt see could almost see. 

“Ok, I can see that part.” She snickered a lil bit. “Tomorrow Soos, McGucket, and I are gonna check out the Society's base. We also got the message to Geoff but he already had an inkling that something was wrong. He told us that in the last month & a half he's lost a few gnomes and that the fairies were complaining that they have also had a few people disappear also.”

“Shoot, that means whatever this thing is it's not discriminating on who/what it attacks. That is telling in and of itself.”, Dipper replied as he looked deep in thought, when suddenly he realized something that was bugging him at the beginning of this conversation, “Wait a minute, how did you know about the fight let alone how big Jimmy is?” 

“Mabel sent me the link to the video, doofus.” Wendy kidded him. “I was both worried & impressed. You kicked that guys tail, man.” 

“Of course she would,” he felt his face redden again as he processed her compliment, “Wait, did you say link? She put it up on the net?”

“Yeah, it's on mytube and man you've already gotten nearly a thousand likes. Nobody likes a bully.”

“Oh great, that's gonna make school fun tomorrow.” 

“Speaking of school, I better get going so I can finish my homework. Remember man, you mean a lot to me so be careful.” Wendy said as a goodbye.

“You too!” Dipper replied before hanging up the phone. He then turned towards the hallway and yelled, “MABEL!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter started out as being just a quick lil chapter in order to give some insight in Dipper & Mabel's life in Piedmont and snowballed into what you see here. Sometimes the characters drive the story more than the other way around. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 8-15-16-5 25-15-21 12-9-11-5-4 20-8-5 8-9-14-20 15-6 20-8-9-14-7-19 20-15 3-15-13-5


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter 4 **

**Gravity Falls  
Gravity Falls High**

“Yo Wendy, did you see the video of Dr. Funtimes kicking the snot out of that bully?”, Nate said as the group walked up to Wendy at her locker. 

“Yeah, man. Did you teach him that?”, Lee joined in on the conversation before Wendy could respond. 

“It's everywhere. I've seen it on yourspace, mytube, rublr, greatbook, my blog, I mean everywhere.”, Tambry added.

“I didn't think the lil guy had it in him.”, Thompson piped in.

“Whatever.”, Robbie caustically chimed in. 

“Yeah guys, I saw it last night before I talked to him.”, Wendy finally was able to answer her friends. “I dunno guys, I'm actually worried about him. Yeah he stood up to the guy, but now he's put a bigger target on his back.” 

“Whoa, whadya mean?”, Nate asked.

“Well for one the father of the guy he fought is pulling his son from his football team for being a bully, that's gonna make him, his friends, and maybe the rest of his team mad. Two he took down a bully and is getting a lot of popularity from the video, that may make the other bullies want to try to take him out now. And finally he's gonna have other people who get picked on looking up to him and that could put pressure on him that I only hope he can handle.”, Wendy said with a worried tone in her voice.

They stood there for a moment before they had to split up to head to separate classes. Seeing as Wendy and Tambry were heading to English 2 they stayed together and talked some more. 

“Ok, I'll give you that there's all that. But there's more to it, isn't there? You may also be worried about the attention he may start to get from the ladies down there,” Tambry teased her friend.

“Wait, no. Psah. What, what are you getting at?” Wendy replied actually stumbling over her words as her normally cool facade slipped a little, “Why would you think that?” 

“Well first off after the trip to the DUSK2DAWN, you actually spent more of your free time with him than you did me and the guys this summer and even when you did hang with us he and his sister would be involved.”, Tambry answered.

“Well I couldn't just leave them stuck in the shack with Stan & Soos all of the time, plus Dip's pretty cool once you get to know him.” Wendy countered.

“Secondly, you've become very quick to defend him when anyone tries to attack him, verbally or physically, you didn't even do that for Robbie when you guys were dating.”, Tambry continued.

“Well he's one of my best friends. I usually defend all of you guys that way.” Wendy said trying to defend herself. 

“Thirdly,” Tambry said counting off a third finger, “after realizing he was gonna get fired from that lifeguard job over the summer you intentionally got yourself fired so he wouldn't feel as bad about losing the chance to work with you.”

“Ok, you've got me there.”, Wendy admitted, wondering exactly where her friend is going with this, “I couldn't stand to see the lil doof be so downhearted.”

“Exhibit number four.” Tambry held up a fourth finger now, “You gave him your hat. You've had that thing since your mother's accident. It was the last thing she gave you. And you gave it to him.”

“Well he needed to something to remember me by,” Wendy was actually blushing at this point, “besides I took his hat in exchange.” 

“Suurree. That's a good exchange. And now for the fifth and final tidbit. I've been thinking about a lot of stuff ever since Robbie and I got together, you know worried about how it would affect our friendship. And well there was always something about Dipper that was there in the back of my mind, it always felt like I had seen him before. Then it hit me, he reminds me a lot of the first guy you told me you thought was cute.”, Tambry remarks not meaning any harm. She was mainly doing this to see how flustered she could get her normally stoic friend.

“Uhm, you've got me here. What are you talking about?”, Wendy asked actually confused.

“We were both five, we were out riding our big wheels down main street when we ran into an older kid and his girlfriend or cousin or something and you leaned over and whispered that the guy was cute, so I told him what you said. The more I think about it the more I think that Dipper looks like that guy.”, Tambry explained. “You ended up having us ride around that area for a week or two cause you hoped you could see him again.”

“Tambers, we were five like you said,” Wendy retorted, “I really don't remember that. Heck you had a crush on Alexander Graham Bell back then.”

“Really, you can remember that?”, Tambry questioned, “But can't remember the first guy you thought was cute enough to tell me about it?”

“It was a long time ago.”, Wendy shrugged as they entered their class, though she see was vaguely starting to remember that day. 'Hmm, I'll have to ask one of them about that,' she thought as she sat down. 

**Piedmont, California  
Nancy Reagan Middle School**

Dipper headed to bus stop with Mabel feeling some trepidation. He had checked the mytube posting again before leaving the house and saw the video has had over 5,000 likes and nearly 30,000 views. Someone had also taken all the sound from it and dubbed it with sound bites from the Fight Fighters game. Who knows what type of reception he was gonna get at school, especially if Jimmy's dad really does pull him off of the football team. He intentionally wore muted colors today in order to not stand out. He tried hard to work on the research last night but he could barely concentrate enough to open the book. He brought one with him to read during lunch and he saw Mabel put the 'Venkman's Guide' in her backpack. Now to just wait for the bus. 

“You ready for this, Dip?”, Mabel asked as the bus had started turning the corner to head to their stop. Despite his protests she was wearing a sweater with Dipper's face on it in order to show support for him. 

“We'll see.”, Was all he said.

No sooner had the bus door open then he heard a resounding, “Hi Dipper!”, Came from most of the bus. 

As they got on they noticed Jimmy wasn't riding today. Some kids he didn't even really know kept asking him if he wanted to sit with them today, but he'd say he was gonna just sit with his sister like normal. Finally one kid got up to give them his seat. It seemed like everyone was asking about how it felt to take down one of the biggest jerks in the school. Pretty much he just sat back and let Mabel field the questions. 

It didn't get much better once they got to school, nearly everybody was stopping him as he walked the halls to talk to him about the fight, even some of the Cheerleaders. Right now he just wished it would all go away. Sure he didn't mind the 'fame', he just wished it had come from one of his scholastic endeavors and not due to some stupid fight. Apparently even some of his teachers had seen the video, his English Lit teacher praised him for his 'Chivalrous Endeavor' in defending his sister, his Applied Sciences teacher commented on his proper use of physics in using his body as a fulcrum for the swing of the backpack, and the Phys Ed teacher asked him if he was gonna try out for wrestling due to him being comfortable outside of his weight-class. 

It was lunch time before it seemed like he was gonna get any type of respite. For the first ten minutes it seem it would just be him and Mabel at their table, but just as he was pulling out his book to do some studying up walked Jimmy's two cronies. 

“Well look, it's lil Dipstick.” #1 said, “Having fun soaking up all the glory your video is getting you?”

Dipper just looked at him. 'One of these days I'll have to learn their names, I can't keep thinking of them as Jimmy's cronies.' Dipper thought as he looked them over. 'They sorta remind me of an inverted Durland and Blubbs. I think the taller one is Jason, Mason, Hanson, something like that. And the other one I think I've heard him called “Stumps” or something like that.'

“You're lucky we wanted to make sure James didn't have any permanent injuries after getting an encyclopedia slammed into his head,” said the crony #2, the shorter one. “or we would've made short work of you lil man.”

“Sure you would've, Lumps.” Mabel said standing up and in getting in to Lumps face, “All I remember seeing yesterday was the two of you trying to ride on James coat tails and once he went down like a sack of flour you ran with your tails tucked between your legs 

“We weren't talking to you, spaz.”, Lumps said as he goes to push Mabel out of the way only to have her grab his hand and twist it. 

“NO, you were threatening my brother.” Mabel said as she slap a sticker on his forehead that read 'Totally Brain Dead!!!' in neon green. 

“You...” crony #1 said as he went to swing at Mabel only to have his arm grabbed by Dipper.

“You two just don't learn,” Dipper said as he slammed his free hand palm first into #1's ear, knocking him into Lumps who Mabel had just let go. In the back of his mind he could almost hear Mayor Cutebiker doing his lil 'Git him, git him.' chant. “You don't mess with my sister.” 

Before anything else could happen the teachers assigned to cafeteria duty were there to separate the two parties, “What's going on over here?” the first teacher asked.

“We were just trying to talk to the school's newest celebrity, when this psycho,” Lumps pointed at Mabel while spinning a tale for the teachers, “got up in my face starting trouble. Then her brother hauled off and hit Tyson.”

“Yeah right. You came over here talking about how you were going jump my brother. And when I called you out on running like a chicken with head chopped off yesterday, you tried to push me down. When I stopped that your lil boyfriend went to hit me, which my brother stopped and then he made sure you two stepped away from me.” Mabel countered.

“What do you have to say about this, Mr. Pines?”, the teacher asked. 

“It went down just the way my sister said. But if you don't believe me ask the crowd, I'm sure someone saw them coming towards me and probably recorded the whole exchange.”, Dipper replied frankly.

No sooner had he said that then three people were offering up videos of the confrontation from three different angles. The teachers went ahead and took all four of the individuals involved to the office along with the provided videos to evaluate the situation. Once there they keep the twins and the jocks separated while they reviewed the videos with the principal before deciding what to do. 

While they waited Dipper pulled out the research book from his backpack and started reading at just about where he left off. Seeing this Mabel pulled out the 'Venkman's Guide' and a sketch pad. They both were still distracted by the fight they were just in but still they were able to read some in an attempt to calm themselves. Dipper looked over act Mabel's sketch pad and saw she was sketching out a gargoyle with a set of googly eyes surrounded by several of her normal array of stickers. He cracked a smile because it almost looked like the gargoyle was suffering from a bad acid trip. After what felt like hours but was closer to 20 minutes the office door opened and in walks Mr. Pines.

“Two fights in as many days, what is going on with you two?”, Mr. Pines asked as soon as he saw his kids. He then notices Lumps & Tyson “Wait a minute, are those the two guys who ran off after you clobbered that Jimmy kid yesterday?”

“Yeppers, dad.”, Mabel replied putting out as much charm as she could muster. 

“Yeah, they came up on me trying to cause trouble. I was gonna just ignore then till the short stack tried to put his hands on Mabel.” Dipper said.

“Well actually,” Mabel interrupted, “I stopped him, but stretch went to hit me and that's when Dipper gave him what for.” She then turned towards Dipper and poke his nose, “Bloop. I forgot to say thanks, broseph.”

At that point the principal's door opened and he walked out. Seeing Mr. Pines he spoke, “Ah, good to see you Mr. Pines. I'm sorry it's under this type of situation. Will the three of you please step into my office?”

With that he turned and went back into his office. By the time they entered he was already back behind his desk. The two teachers who had escorted the group to the main office, Mr Kwan & Miss Maisey, were still in the office. 

“As you know we have a zero tolerance policy we it comes to fighting,” seeing Dipper was about to speak up, “Yes. I know you were just trying to defend your sister, Marlon.”

“It's Dipper, sir.”, Dipper respectfully corrected him.

“Well according to our records your name is Marlon, so that's what I will address you as.” Principal Speigel said somewhat haughtily , “Now as I was saying with our zero tolerance policy everyone involved in a fight gets a two day suspension. Again I know you were only trying to defend each other, but after reviewing the video of the incident and despite the protests of Mr. Kwan and Miss Maisey, I'm going to have to have the punishment stand. I really hate to do it because other than something about a head shaving incident in second grade the two of you have pretty clear school record, but I can't make any exceptions when it comes down to it. Zero tolerance means zero tolerance.”

“Wait a minute, you mean there's a video of this fight also?”, Mr. Pines asked incredulously, looking between Principal Speigel and the kids, “you do know that those two out there were involved in an attempted attack upon my kids yesterday after school.

“Yes. I'm are aware of the attack, Mr. Riva's father called his son in this morning and asked to talk to me. He let me know he was pulling his son from the football team as punishment for the quarrel yesterday. As for today's incident we have video of it from three different angles, Mr. Pines, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear there was more evidence recorded. We do live in the digital age unfortunately. Also in case you are worried about possible retribution from Mr. Willows or Mr. Clover, don't, they are both on their second strike and they'll each be out for all of next week. That should cover everything, if there are no more questions I'll let you take them home.”

He gets up and walks around his desk and comes to stand next to Mr. Pines and offers his hand. “Again it was a pleasure to speak with you Mr. Pines I just wish it was under different circumstances. Mr. Kwan will walk you to your child's lockers and then outside. Mabel, Marlon have a good weekend and we'll see you again on Wednesday.” He then walks over to his door and opens it so they can exit.

Mr. Kwan (Dipper's English Literature teacher) walks them out of the office and down the hall towards their lockers. As they walk he speaks to the twins, “We'll let your teachers know about this, most of the home work for the two days you'll miss will be waiting for you as you get to your classes on Wednesday.”

“Thank you Mr. Kwan. We're sorry for taking up so much your time today.”, Dipper nodded towards his sister as he commented. As he got to his locker he pulled out his jacket and the hat Wendy gave him. Mabel just had to grab her jacket, so it was a quick stop. They walked on outside in silence and made it to the doors after the bell rang to end the period so the halls crowded a bit as they went on. Unbeknownst to the others Mabel stopped and asked one of her friends to get a copy of one of videos of the fight and email it to her later. 

Once they got out to the car their father told them to get in the car. After he pulled out of the parking lot he asked, “Alright you two, have you ate yet or did the fight happen before you got to get anything.” 

“We had just finished when this happened, dad,” Dipper stated, he then turned and looked out of the window and continued, “Sorry about this dad, you shouldn't have to give up your time because some idiot decides that I'm a good choice to be their punching bag.” 

“Look, Dipper, I maybe upset that you've been suspended, but I would've been more upset if something had happened to you or your sister. I'm proud that you are stepping up and defending each other more, I just wish it didn't have to be so violent.” Mr. Pines said as he turned into a fast food joint, “Also I wish you had waited till I had had my lunch before you had gotten into trouble.”

Mabel laugh a lil at her father's weak attempt at humor. 

After he had gotten his food he took them home and dropped them off as he had to get back to work. He told them he should be home by 5 but that their mother had a late shift tonight and wouldn't be home for dinner. 

Dipper went on up and dug back into the research books, so far he's gotten a few items to ask Soos or Wendy when talks to them next that may help narrow things down better. There seems to be quite a few things that are able to turn men into stone...

A couple of hours later he hears Mabel's email alert on her phone go off.

 **Gravity Falls 8:00 PM  
Gravity Falls Natural History Museum**

“Well Fiddleford, how did you get talked into coming back here?” McGucket asked himself as he was waiting on the others to arrive. Ever since he began regaining his memories he had done his best to avoid the Museum as it reminded him of how he had allowed himself to believe it was better to forget all of his problems instead of facing them. He has glad Ford's great niece and nephew had came to town and helped him regain himself. 

“Wassup, McGucket dood?”, he heard the big man Soos say from behind him. As he turned he saw Wendy was with the new Mr. Mystery.

“Ah, good to see you two. I was afraid I had a honeysuckle, sassafrasin memory lapse.” He said still slipping in an 'old timey swear word' as Soos had called them once, just to get a smile from the big man and so hopefully they wouldn't notice how nervous he was to be here. 

“Sorry man, it took a moment to get dad to let me out for this excursion, and if he asks Soos needed my help to pick up a new display item for the Shack.” Wendy said with a twinkle in her eye at doing something her father may not approve of. 

“Ok, doods let's get this done. I know we've gotten all of the members taken care of but this place still gives me a chill at night.”, soos said as he headed up to the front doors. “Ah man, the doors are locked and Mabel's not here to pick it.”

“Hold on guys,” Wendy said digging into the inner pockets of her bomber jacket, “after everything this summer I've been slowly picking up a few new tools.” and with a flourish she produce a tumbler lock pick gun. “Keep an eye out, alright.”

With that she bent down and operated the gun until she heard the lock release. She lightly tugged on the door and after she made sure she didn't hear any alarms she opened the door wide enough for them to sneak in. Keeping an eye out for the security guard they traveled down to the entrance to the Society's inner rooms. Once in they started going down to the 'Hall of the Forgotten' to see what they could find that might be helpful. Once they were in the 'Hall', Soos and McGucket started looking around to see what might be helpful. Wendy went through the tubes to see if anyone's memories had any clues. So far the only interesting tidbit she had found was that her dad had met the Manotaurs before Weirdmageddon.  
“Bells and buttons,” McGucket muttered before he called out to the others, “Hey you two, didn't there used second one of the cornswaggled tube viewers?'

Wendy didn't hear him as one of the tubes caught her eye, it was labeled 'Pines, Dipper'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know sometimes no matter how much you try to write a story with an outline, the characters just come along and say forget that I wanna shine through. This is what happened with the Wendy/Tambry conversation. This bit was just supposed to be the bit with everyone acknowledging the video and it snowball once I got into writing the fact that Tambry knows Wendy better than Wendy does sometimes (as most people do with people they have been friends with for a long time). Then the reaction at the twins school was only gonna be a paragraph or two and hello avalanche.   
> And yes I know Dipper's name is Mason, but this was originally written just after the series ended and Marlon was the name Igave him.
> 
> 23-5-12-12 23-8-1-20 17-21-5-19-20-9-15-14-19 1-14-4 1-14-19-23-5-18-19 23-9-12-12 20-8-5 20-21-2-5 16-18-15-4-21-3-5


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5 **

**Gravity Falls  
Gravity Falls Natural History Museum**

'Wait. What? They never got Dipper. They all acted as if the time we discovered this hall was the first time they had planned on using the memory gun on any of us, except McGucket. But here this is.' Wendy thought as she looked down at the tube that says it hold's a part of Dipper's memories. 'This can't be, he's one of my boys. I would've noticed if something had happened to him.'

“Hey, Wendy dood. Have you found anything?” Soos asked and noticed that she seems to be spaced out, “Earth to Wendy? Did you find something?” 

“Uhm,sorry Soos. Nah only thing I've found is apparently my dad is an honorary member of the Mantaurs.” She said as she tucked the tube into the inside of her jacket. “Hey McGucket, didn't you ask a question a moment ago? I was to busy looking at the stuff on the tubes to hear you?” she said as she turned to look at Fiddleford.

“Well dagnabbit, it was more of a pondering than a question. I thought I remember there being two of the tube viewers down here, but I don't see the other one.”, Fiddleford said as he stroked his long beard. 

“Hmm, you maybe right.” Soos said examining a bare area against a far wall, “It looks like something was moved from here with in the last couple of months. Interesting.” 

Wendy looked down at her watch, “Guys, I need to be getting home soon. It's 9:30 already” 

“Yeah, let's pack up before we outlive our welcome.” Soos agreed as he tried to figure out the possibilities of having the gun and the Tube viewer in the Shack. Think of the possibilities, Think of the money a lil voice that sounds a lot like Stan said in Soos's head. 'Nah, it'd cause too many troubles.' he finally thought to settle down the debate going on between the different parts of his psyche.

“I still wanna talk to Dipper and make sure nothing bad happen today in school after yesterday.” Wendy said as she started to head for the stairs.”

“Wait, what happened yesterday?”, Soos asked sounding genuinely concerned for his friends.

“You mean you didn't hear? Dipper got into a fight with a bully yesterday trying to save Mabel, which he totally did I reckon.” Fiddleford answered before Wendy could, shocking them both. “What? I have a giant shed now and I spent some of my money to buy a new laptop, which I then gutted and rebuilt into a computer the way I wanted it. My son signed me up for greatbook and one of the first things that pops up was a video of a kid fighting a bully, when I got a closer look I saw it was Dipper.” 

“When we get out to the truck I'll show you the video Soos,” Wendy said. 

They quietly made it back out of the Museum and once they all got to Soos's truck McGucket said he had to leave. Out of habit he headed around the back of the Museum to take a trail that led to his old shack in the dump. After watching the video, and feeling a lil bit proud of his Pterodactyl Bro, Soos fired up the truck.

It was then that they heard Fiddleford scream. “Great googly moogly, catfishin hootenanny. Help guys.”

Soos revved up the truck and headed to the back lot as fast it would take him, as they turned around the back they saw McGucket waving wildly and then pointing and rushing isto a operning in the trees. Wendy jumped out as soon as Soos slowed down with her ax in hand. Soos followed once he shut the truck down, once they were in the clearing they saw McGucket enter they saw what had caused him to get so frantic. Just inside the clearing was Toot-toot McBumbersnazzle, the man formerly know as Blind Ivan, frozen rock solid the same way as Dipper clone. 

**Piedmont, California  
Mabel's Room**

“Yeah. I know Paz. Yeah, that's really him in both video's. Psah, I've known all my life how brave my bro can be, now I've just got video proof.” Mabel said talking to her friend Pacifica, “Yeah, he flat out ko'd the creep in the first video. He wouldn't take no for an answer after he asked me out and then he tried to hit me.”, she switched her phone to her other hand as she picked up he pencil to work more on the picture of the rock headed boa from the 'Venkman's Guide'. She's trying to get a decent drawing of all of the creatures she comes across in the book that are rumored to be able to turn an object to stone. As she flipped to a new blank page she just set the tip of the pencil she was drawing with down on the paper. “Yeah Paz, I turned the jerk down, ok I guess he is decent looking but he really wasn't my type.” 

She listened to her friend as she laughed for a moment and then make a comment. She responded as she continued absentmindedly sketching, “I do too have a type. No, it's not the unattainable type. Hey, I'm not boy crazy. I didn't ask out nearly every guy my age while we were there, I didn't ask out any of the Corduroy boys. All right cut it out Paz, their sister is one of my best friends. Yeah, yeah. Look I need to be getting to bed soon, I'll talk to you later. Sweet dreams, amiga.”

This conversation was actually really close to one she's been having with herself off and on since they have been back in Piedmont. 'Have I really been only going after the unattainable guys, did I really set myself up to fail all summer. If I did then what do I really want?', At this point she took a moment to see what she had been drawing and realized it was a beautiful drawing of Pacifica. She looked at it for a few moments and then said, “Uh oh.”

**Dipper's Room**

“Whoa, wait a minute. You mean you've found another stone man?” Dipper was asking Wendy after she told him what they had found behind the Museum. “Wait, Blind Ivan? I thought he left town after Mabel made him a banjo minstrel.” he got up and started pacing while trying to think. “How good of a look did you get of his overall appearance? Did it look like he had any types of bite marks visible? Did it look like there were any type of hand or paw prints on him? Were his eyes open or closed? Was his mouth open or closed?” he was firing questions off faster than she could answer on the other end. Finally he listened to her asking him to slow down. 

**Gravity Falls  
Wendy's Room**

“Whoa, slow down man. Give me a chance to think, he's not right here in the room with me. Ok, let's see. McGucket said as he was heading out he heard a screech, so thinking it might be something he could catch for breakfast he went to check it out. As he got closer he heard rustling and saw the bushes moving as if he had scared something off. Then he yelled for us and we found Ivan.” Wendy thought for a moment, “Hmm ok. I don't remember any bite marks. Didn't take too good of his clothes. And both his eyes and mouth were open. Besides that that I don't remember much else about him. Tell you what I'll take a pic tomorrow when I get to work.”

Wendy got up from her bed and walked over to her dresser and started grabbing a tank and shorts to sleep in. “So what happened to you today, man? Anything I should know about?” 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's Room**

“Yeah, a pic would help. Thanks.” Dipper replied as he reached for a tank and some sleep shorts.

“Well apparently I'm some sort of local celebrity at school, thanks to the video from yesterday. Uhm, I was asked if I wanted to join the school's wrestling team, though I think the teacher was just ribbing me. And Jimmy's two friends tried to attack me at lunch.” He then had to pull the phone from his ear as Wendy started yelling for their names and addresses. “Calm down. I did my best to just ignore them, but Mabel being Mabel stepped up to them to defend me. To make a long story short,” he pulled back again as Wendy practically yelled 'Too Late.' causing them both the chuckle a little, he needed that he realized. Once it subsided he continued, “one of them tried to swing at Mabel so I decked him.”

He had sat down at his desk while laughing and now brought up the web browser he was using before he got the call. He decided to see how many hits the video had now and to his surprise he saw the description now had a new link attached to it. He clicked it and saw that Mabel had some how gotten a copy of one of the videos from today's fight and posted it.

“Great, that's all I needed.” he tried to say under his breath. 

**Gravity Falls  
Wendy's Room**

“Too late,” Wendy quoted causing them to both chuckle for a little bit. They both seemed to need the laugh. After hearing the next part she responded, “These guys better hope I don't decide to come down there for a visit anytime soon.”

She hoped up onto her bed and pulled her laptop off of her night stand. She turned it on and set about getting on to the net to look up the travel distance between Piedmont & Gravity Falls to see how hard the trip would be. She then heard him say something under his breath. “Come on man, you know I can still hear you. What's wrong?” 

Upon hearing his answer she went to mytube and looked up the new video. As she was watching it she got a text from Tambry, 'I'll get that when I'm done with Dipper'.

“Ok, is that a zombie sticker that Mabel put on the short guys forehead? Whoa, nice thrust there man.” Wendy commented as she watched the video, she then heard another text alert. “Ok, people I'll get back to you when I get a chance. Nah, we're talking they can wait. Ok, Dip, I see that you guys all got caught, what happened?”

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's Room**

“Thanks. Watching those bad kung fu movies have finally paid off.” Dipper replied and then heard her text alert. “Do you need to get that?”

While she replied he started entering the answers from his earlier questions into his spreadsheet he was using to sort through the various critters who could petrify people. To her final question he finally answered. “Mabel & I got a two day suspension each. The teachers who caught us even pleaded with the principal because they knew we were just defending ourselves, but the school has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to fighting. If we had just taken the hits we'd have been able to go back to school Monday, eh, cest la vie. I plan on using the extra time to try to figure out what's going on up there.” 

“Hey bro-bro,” Mabel called as she was coming down the hall to talk to him, “I have a question for you?” 

“Well there's Mabel, tell you what I better let you go so I can see what she want and you can answer your texts. Talk at you tomorrow. Remember you mean a lot to me, so be careful.” Dipper waited until he heard her respond with a 'You too' before he hung up. He then sat his phone down and turned around to see Mabel standing in his door way holding Waddles. She looks like she's been thinking about something a little too much and it's starting to bother her. 

“What's up, Mabel?”

“I, uh, was talking to, uhm, someone earlier and well something they said got me thinking. Now I want your real, honest opinion here, Dip.” She asked not even really taking her eyes off of the floor in front of her. 

Dipper gets up out of his chair and guided her over to sit down in it. “Alright sis, what's wrong.” 

“I was talking to, well to someone about what set off James and well I mentioned he wasn't my type. Well they commented that it seemed to them that if I had a type it was the unattainable type. The more I think about it the more I'm wondering if she's right, I mean look at last summer. My only real success was with Mermando the merman, who is one of the ultimate unattainable guys.” Mabel said with an even bigger frown on her face. “And whenever a guy is interested in me either he's a big jerk face, psychotic, or a bunch of gnomes.”

Dipper puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Come on sis, you don't need to beat yourself up over this. We'll all go through bumps along life, sometimes they'll be just little twigs and sometimes they'll be mountains. We just need to be ready to cross them however we can. And Mabel I know you can cross over anything, remember you helped us escape Bill's supposedly inescapable bubble trap. And you'll always have my support and that of the rest of our friends and family.”

At hearing this she finally broke down and started crying. Dipper started out just holding her hand but ended up just pulling her into a hug, comforting her. 

“Th-'sniff'-anks, Dip.”, Mabel says after crying for a few minutes, “This-'sniffle'-this has really been bugging me, even though I've been trying to not let it. It's even been effecting my crafting, 'sob' I haven't made a sweater in a couple of weeks. And besides the drawings I've done for the research, I've not been able to draw much even. I've done some scrap-booking, but even that's suffering.” 

With that she pulled her scrapbook out from who know where in her sweater. She opened it up to the birthday party pages, these were last pages he remembers her working on. As she is looking over these pictures he notices a piece of paper hanging out a few pages further along in the book. The next section it seems is dedicated to the beginning of the school year with photo's of them getting ready to leave the house on the first day, one of them one the bus, heading into the Junior High building, and somehow a pic of him in his science class (she's supposed to be in her music appreciation class at that time). The next page was some photo's from Grenda and Candy.

“Wait a minute,” Dipper says looking closer at the picture of the two of them, he reaches into the second drawer on his desk and pulls out a magnifying glass, “take a look at this sis. Isn't that me in the background?” 

“What? Where?” Mabel questioned, momentarily distracted from her problems. 

“Right there in the bushes behind Grenda & Candy,” Dipper says holding the magnifying glass over a section of the photo just to the left and above the girls in the picture. 

“Oh my gosh. That. Is. You!”, She turned and looked at the timestamp in the bottom corner of the picture, 09/15/2012, “You know, for a bit I was wondering if we were both being a lil bit silly about the clone idea, but now I'm 110% convinced.”

“We'll have to set up a conference call tomorrow with everybody. I'll let Soos & Wendy know, you tell the girls & bring them up to speed.”, Dipper said, “As for tonight's problem. I'll just share some advice someone once gave me, 'Listen to your heart and not your brains',” 

As Mabel picked up the scrapbook the loose sheet of paper slid out of it and she didn't notice. Dipper saw it fall and curiosity got the better of him. He waited for her to notice and when she left his room with out it, He picked it up and looked ay the expertly drawn picture of Pacifica, not wanting to risk upsetting her anymore he laid the paper back on the ground facedown and yelled towards Mabel that she had dropped something. She came back in and seeing what it was quickly picked it up and thanked him then left his room again.

'She'll tell me when she's ready', he thinks as he decides to shut off his electronics and lay down to try and get some shut eye. 

**Gravity Falls  
Gravity Falls Natural History Museum  
Hall Of The Forgotten**

It had been eating at her all night, she had to find out what was on the tube she had found. She turned on the screen and placed the tube labeled 'Pines, Dipper' into the replay slot. With that Wendy sat back and watched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here is the next installment of Gravity Heroes. Hopefully soon I'll get the story to follow my planned outlines. These characters keep trying to run the asylum. We actually get a lil more from one of the characters I'm have the hardest time trying to write, Mabel. I've always been more of a pragmatic person and sometimes (almost always) over analyze situations which is why I'm such a big Dipper fan. He literally reminds me of myself at that age. Thank you to all those who have stuck along with me on this ride so far. This is still only the beginning. I hope to continue this story as long as my mind will come up with plot points. 
> 
> 23-8-9-3-8 6-18-9-5-14-4 4-15 25-15-21 20-8-9-14-11 6-18-1-14-3-9-19 9-19 9-14-205-18-5-19-20-5-4 9-14?


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter 6 **

**Gravity Falls  
** Gravity Falls Natural History Museum  
Hall Of The Forgotten 

_“Dipper Pines what have you seen that you wish to unsee?” The apparent leader is asking Dipper._

_“I have seen two ghosts at the Dusk2Dawn convenience store, they scared me and several friends. It was only through luck and an embarrassing dance that we were able to escape. It was horrible. I had to embarrass myself in front of W, uhm the girl I like.” Dipper is seen saying._

_“This will be unseen,” the crowd behind the leader chanted._

_“Is there more child?”, the leader asked._

_“I fought a group of fairies over an aloe plant my sibling and I needed to survive,” Dipper added to his earlier admission._

_“This will be unseen.” The crowd chanted again._

_“Then this shall be unseen, Dipper Pines,” the leader said as he pointed the gun at Dipper and fired._

This was all that was on the tube that Wendy had found, she had re-watched it twice to make sure she did not miss anything. She finds it weird that Dipper would want to forget the trip to the Dusk2Dawn as that was one of the first times they had really bonded. Also she know she hasn't heard anything about a fight with a group of fairies from either of the twins. Just to be safe she does another look around to see if she had missed a tube for Mabel to see if they had gotten to her also. After thirty minutes of hapless searching, in which she felt she had seen every tube at least twice, she realized there wasn't a tube for Mabel. Which means Mabel should know about the fairy fight. She'll have to ask her tomorrow. 

She as she headed out she looked over at where they had earlier thought the second tube viewer was at, she walked over and examined the ground around the space. As she looked closer she noticed a heavily chewed pen on the floor under edge of the table. As sh looked at it she remembered something Mabel had mentioned awhile ago. Now she has even more to ask her about. But first she needs to get home and get some sleep. 

**Piedmont, California  
** Saturday October 20, 2012 8:30 am  
Pines House Kitchen 

“Hurry up Dip, we need to get this done before they wake up.” Mabel says as she works at the stove. 

As she's talking to him Dipper is grabbing the milk and orange juice out of the fridge and carrying it to the dining room table. He had already set the table and was getting the drinks ready. He had awoken earlier and got Mabel up saying that cooking breakfast for their parents would be a good way to stay on their good side after getting suspended. Mabel is cooking up cheese omelets, sausage links, and hashbrown patties. Besides setting the table he made buttered toast. 

“Alrighty, this looks like it should be great, Mabel.”, Dipper said as he was putting the liquids back into the fridge, “You about done?”

“Yeah, can you get the hashbrowns out of the oven,” Mabel said as she was putting the eggs into a serving bowl. Dipper had them out and on a platter by the time she got back. She then added the sausages to the platter and headed back to the table. “Ok, go get them.”

Dipper headed towards their parent's room only to find them already awoken by the smell of fresh cooked food. In his best maitre'd voice he says, “Follow me, madame & monsieur. Your breakfast awaits.”

“Why thank you kind sir,” Mrs Pines said as Dipper led them towards the dining room table. 

“Breakfast is served,” Mabel said as she uncovered the platter with the hashbrowns & sausage. 

“Whoa Mabel, when did you learn to cook?” Mrs Pines asked.

“I learned some while up with Grunkle Stan.” Mabel replied, glad to be able to say something good about her Grunkle. 

“Not to be a naysayer, kids, but what brought this on?” Mr Pines asked as he was filling his plate.

“What do you mean, father of mine?”, Mabel asked in her most sincere suck up voice, “We have no ulterior motives.”

“The last time you made us breakfast, you were trying to talk us into having a sleepover. But that was just you, this is involving both of you so my interest is peaked to say the least.” Her father responded.

While this conversation was being held, Mrs. Pines was spreading apricot preserves on her toast. Dipper had grabbed a bottle of hot sauce and splashed some onto his eggs. He then passed it on over to his father. 

“Well dad, we just wanted to do something special for the two of you to say sorry for the hassle we put you through these last couple of days.”, Dipper started not picking up the subtle hints his father was sending his way until he felt his father kick him under the table to which he said, “Ow.”

“What are you talking about dear?”, his mom asked. 

“He's talking about the two fights that we have been in, mom.” Mabel replied oblivious to the looks on her father and brother's faces, “The first happened Thursday out front when James tried to bully me into a date with him and Dipper came to my rescue. James punched him in the gut for his trouble but Dipper then knocked him out cold,” Her mother was just staring at Mabel or she would've seen Dipper trying to signal Mabel to shut up, “and then yesterday two of James friends, who were with him when Dipper cold cocked him, tried to cause trouble at school. When I tried to ask them to leave us alone one of them tried to hit me only for Dipper to stop him.”

“Amazing, when did my lil Marlon grow up?”, Dipper's mother asked looking at her son, before turning her face to glare at her husband, “And when were you going to tell me about this, dear?” 

“Well honey,” he started realizing his sweet little daughter had just thrown him under the bus to save her brother and herself, “I was gonna tell you later today, I know you have been working some extra shifts at the hospital so I didn't want to worry you.”

“That's why we went all out on this breakfast, mom, so you would know that we are still able being your good kids and not turning into hooligans.”, Dipper added trying to help dig his dad out of the muck Mabel had inadvertently left him buried in up to his waist. 

“There's video of each fight up on mytube if you want to check them out to see if what we're telling you is true, mom,” Mabel added not realizing she could be getting her dad in more trouble, only hearing the praise she had showed to Dipper. 

“They were recorded and are on the net, oh man, I wonder if these were the videos the other nurses were talking about last night?” Mrs. Pines said to no one in particular as she mentally added 2+2. 

“Yeah, Mrs. Fenster caught it on video while she was recording her pet monkey playing with that ball of his. She saw the guys waiting out of sight of our yard and got interested. As for the school fight, I know of at least a dozen different angles of the fight and we're on the right side in all of them. I'll show you them later if you'd like.”

This seemed to settle her mother down and the rest of breakfast went by without a hitch. While her parents went to get dressed, Mabel went up to toss an outfit on and grabbed her computer. Dipper went ahead and did dishes since Mabel had cooked and then he went up to get dressed himself. 

**Mabel's Room**

As Mabel walked into her room she noticed that she had a message waiting on her. She picked up the phone and opened the message, 'Need to talk to you soon, don't let Dip know. I have some questions'. The weird part is it was from Wendy. She replied 'We were gonna try to set up a conference styled call with The Shack crew and my girls to talk about the whatever it is up there petrifying people. I'll text in a bit for a convo between us'.

She went about grabbing a gray skirt and a purple sweater with a set of crossed golf putters on it. She added a purple headband and a seashell hair-clip to her ensemble. Happy with the look she grabbed her laptop and headed back downstairs. 

As she was heading downstairs, Dipper was coming up. 

“Don't forget to call Soos to set up the conference call, bro”, she told him as they passed.

**Dipper's Room**

Going over to his closet Dipper decided to change it up for once and grabbed some jeans, a white tank top, and a red flannel sleeveless button up shirt. He topped off the look with Wendy's hat. Before heading back downstairs he fired up his laptop and checked his email. Most of the messages were the same spam that somehow slips through even the best filters, but there was one that caught his for some reason. It was from someone who called himself Tonytc3. He looked it over:

_To: Dippingsauce@Scholnick.tv_  
From: Tonytc3@GFmail.com  
Re: A family crisis 

_Hey Dipper, this is #3 or Tony as I've taken to call myself. I'm not sure if you ever realized but Francis (#4) and I survived the party night. We ended up getting his bike away and after we realized the party was over we went back to check on how things went. We arrived in time to see you and Tyrone on the roof, after hearing the two of you talk about how things went down we decided we wanted to try and live lives of our own. We saw what had happened to Ty with the Pitt soda so we figured we better be safe around sources of moisture. We also shortly realized we need to eat still, so after some experimentation we found certain plants were able to sustain us. Eventually we decided to attempt to integrate in society. That's when we decided to give ourselves better names than just #3 & #4. We ended up selling the bike in order to earn some funds to facilitate our trip. We headed out to a couple of towns over and for a little bit we were happy, but for some reason we decided to come back to the Gravity Falls area. It was like we needed to be here. Well recently on one of our trips to town to gather supplies, Francis came up missing. I realize I'm reaching here to think you would be worried about us when you may not have even known we were still around. But then I thought that I would want to know what happened so I'm sending you this message. I'm hoping Piedmont is being good to you. _

_Tony T Clondicke #3_

'Well here is some more proof that his theory has some weight to it. I'll talk it over with everyone before I respond to it though.' he thought after reading the message. He saved the message and put the rest spam in my spam folder. Then grabbed his phone and sent a text off to both Soos and Wendy. After a quick succession of back and forth texts he and Soos had the conference call set up for 6:30 tonight. He figured Mabel should be done show his mother the videos by now so he may as well get downstairs and see what is up. As he was heading downstairs he realized he hadn't heard back from Wendy yet, hopefully she was just taking a nap. 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack**

“You gonna answer that, dawg?”, Soos asked Wendy when he heard her text message alert go off.

“Nah man, it's probably just Tambry telling me the latest thing the guys got Thompson to do.” Wendy reply even though she knew it was another text from Dipper wondering if she was up yet, “I'll just check it out later.”

Wendy went about actually working for once. This in and of itself actually worried Soos more than Wendy not answering a text from one of her friends. It was like she was actually trying to keep herself busy and ignore the messages that seemed to be piling up on her phone. 

“Are you ok Wendy?”, Melody asked noticing how much her actions were worrying Soos. 

“Ye, yeah,” Wendy replied trying but not really succeeding in hiding that something is bothering her, “I'm just trying to make sure everything is ready for today's tours.” 

“Dood, if you need to talk about something we're here for you.” Soos said

“I'll be fine, I'm gonna go chuck these old labels down the bottomless pit. I'll be back in a bit.”, Wendy said as she grabbed the price label cards she had just changed and headed out of the door. 

'This is just too weird, Dipper is the one person I thought I'd be able to trust to be there for me no matter what and now I'm wondering if I even know him. To think he wanted to forget the Dusk2Dawn incident. That was one of the first times I realized how much of a good guy he is. What if he did that as a way to attempt to forget about how he feels about me?', Wendy was thinking as she headed towards the pit. Once she reached it she dropped the cards in it and then just headed on further into the woods. Before she knew what she was doing she realized she was once again standing at the tree the bunker is hidden under. She walked over to the logs where they sat after that ordeal, 'Back here again. Man, it was here that he finally came out and told her how he felt. I did my best to let him done softly, I thought everything ended on good terms here. I didn't mean to hurt him, I was just worried that people would've been freaked out over it. I didn't want people to think I was just leading him on cause he would only be here for a couple of months. Heck, I didn't want to have it become too real for me because he was leaving at the end of summer. If it had become real and then he left I don't know how I would've taken it.” She put her head in her hands and just sat there for a moment. 

She got up and walked back over to the tree and opened up the panel that held the switch that opened the hiding place where Dipper had found his journal. Inside of the hole in the ground she finds a broken memory tube labeled Pines, Stanley. Believing (correctly) that this was the tube from the defeat of Bill she leaves it in it's hiding place. As she shuts the hole back up and decides that she needs to look around the bunker again something down there may help. Again she climbs up and hits the lever to open up the hidden passageway. As she was climbing down she got another text. She went ahead and opened it: 'Wendy, are you ok? I've been trying to reach you all morning. I even asked Soos if you were at work and he said you were getting rid of some trash at the pit but you had been gone for a couple of hours. Everybody is worried.' 

After reading it she felt upset with herself that she ever thought he didn't still feel the same about her. As she was getting ready to respond her phone rang, as she looked at it she remembered she was supposed to have called Mabel twenty minutes ago. 

“Hey there Mabel,” she said as she answered the phone.

**Piedmont, California  
Pines family's backyard**

“Hey there, hey there.” Mabel responded, “Where in the heck are you? Dipper is worried sick about you. I waited for you to call cause you wanted to talk to just me for some reason. What s going on with you, Wen-wen?”

“Yes, I'm alone. Ok, Waddles & Valerie, my cat, are out here with me getting some fresh air. Dipper is in with mom and dad talking himself out of a grounding. They already told me they weren't gonna ground him because he was defending me, they just want to see him sweat and maybe make him do the Lamby Lamby dance.” Mabel finished her statement with a smirk. 

**Gravity Falls  
Bunker in the woods**

“I'm uhm, I'm dealing with some stuff I found while Soos, McGucket, and I were searching the Societies base. You are alone right?” Wendy asked before she continued.

After Mabel had answered Wendy continued, “I haven't told anyone else but while we were there I found a tube with Dipper's name on it.” She started explaining things to Mabel, stopping her before she could reply, “Yeah, I know I thought that was the first time any of us besides McGucket had had any dealings with them also. And the Society acted like it was the first time they had any of us, to me at least.” 

Wendy walked back over to the fallen log and sat back down during the conversation. She smiled at the mention of Mabel's two pets. And she could see Dipper having to break out the lamb suit in an attempt to appease his mother, “It was weird Mabel, I was watching him on the screen. He, He had them erase his memories of the Dusk2Dawn incident. It was like he didn't want to remember one of the first times the two of us bonded.”

**Piedmont, California  
Pines family's backyard**

Mabel sat down in a lawn chair on the deck at the back of the house. She watched Waddles and Valerie run around apparently playing chase. She listened to what Wendy was saying and then responded, “But that's ridiculous, Wendy. Dipper and I was just talking about that yesterday while we were trying to figure out what other things could have made the statue. He was wondering out loud if the ghosts could have turned us to stone in the same way they had turned Tambry into a TV signal and Nate into a hot dog. He remembered details from that night that even I didn't even know. So I know he didn't get hit with the memory gun over that night And anyways Wendy, he's still head over heels in love with you, so I know he didn't have that taken away.” Mabel nodded as Wendy responded, “Ok, wait. Why are you now asking about fighting fairies for?” 

**Gravity Falls  
Outside the bunker**

Wendy felt flush at hearing Mabel say what she had, but there was still a few other things she needed to find out before she would really feel better, “Ok, that's great to hear, but it's still only part of it. Do you remember anything about Dipper having to fight a group of fairies over an aloe plant?”, Wendy waited for Mabel to respond before continuing, “He said something about the two of you needing it to survive.”

“I dunno, did you guys get a sun burn anytime this summer?” Wendy responded after Mabel answered. “Ok, one final thing did you know that Dipper and Ford had been visiting and refurbishing the bunker? They apparently had been moving a bunch of the weird items and weapons into storage down there. It's like Ford was stockpiling stuff there in case anything happened to the shack.” 

**Piedmont, California  
Pines family's backyard**

Mabel almost had to laugh out loud over the question of the aloe plant, “Why would we need to fight fairies over an aloe plant? We could just go to the store and buy one?” she then listened to Wendy for a moment and said, “Nah, the closest we came to a sun burn would have been when the two of you were working at the pool.”

Mabel got up and headed over to where Waddles and Valerie were playing, they had apparently found something and were playfully chasing it between them. “Yeah, Dipper told me they had started working on it sometime before we hunted down the Unicorns. I think they said something about working on it some more before we got ready to leave. I don't know how much they had gotten done. And yeah Dipper said they had decided to do it so we would have it as a secondary base if anything ever happened to the Shack.”

“Hey, Wen-wen give me a moment would you?” With out waiting for a reply she ran into the house and saw that Dipper was in fact doing the Lamby dance she took a picture of him in his lamb costume. She then quietly sneaked back outside. She hit a few buttons and sent the pic to Wendy. “Alright Wendy, I've sent you something that should help you cheer up some. Once we're done talking you need to either call or text Dipper. You know how he gets, heck it almost sounds like he's rubbing off on you with how you've been acting today.”

**Gravity Falls  
Just outside the bunker**

Wendy listened to Mabel talk about the changes to the bunker and thought it sounded just like what he had told her earlier. She was getting ready to ask her about the pen when Mabel asked her to hold on. While she was listening to Mabel seemingly go through a door or something. She was wondering if Mabel was gonna give the phone to Dipper, part of her wanted her to do just that and part of her wasn't ready for that yet. She shifted around before grabbing a rock and tossing it towards a tree across the glade she was sitting in, nailing the tree right about where she was aiming. Finally she heard a sound from Mabel's end and got a text notification. Mabel returned to the line right afterwords and got on her case about contacting Dipper. “I will in a few moments Mabel, I've just been worried that he was hiding something from us and I was hurt that he would think he needed to do it. Thanks for this talk, I'm feeling better about all of this. And you may be right, he may be rubbing off on me some.” 

“Don't worry Mabel, I'll text him after I hang up. I'm gonna get going, so I can see what you sent me. And I'll be back for the group call later, ok. I'll talk to you then, Mabs.” She waited for Mabel to say goodbye and then she hung up. She opened up her text from Mabel and saw Dipper in the Lamb costume and couldn't help but laugh at the pic. Next she texted Soos to tell him she was fine, that she had just needed to clear her mind and she'll be back in a little bit. 

Finally she texted Dipper: Sorry to worry you, dork. Just had some stuff on my mind that I needed to work through. I'll tell about it tonight when we talk. I'll get those photos you wanted of the two victims once I'm back at the shack. Also your sister sent me a blackmail photo to use later. ;-)

After she had done all this she realized she really didn't need to head down into the bunker anymore. She picked up another large rock and prepared to throw it, but something stopped her. Like the last time she was here she felt some kind of pull to come down to the bunker and then it was gone. She finally nailed the lever to close the bunker back up and headed back to the shack. 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

'I wonder what was bothering her bad enough she wouldn't want to talk to me?' Dipper thought as he was reading her message, 'Wait a minute, what kind of blackmail photo did Mabel send her?' 

“MABEL!” Dipper yelled as he headed towards his sister's room. 

**Mabel's room**

“Welp, it sounds like Wendy told him Waddles. Run.” Mabel said as she dashed out of her room and down the stairs. “You can't catch me, Dippingsauce.”

And with that Dipper followed his twin down the stairs & out the back door with Waddles and Valerie following them. Once outside Mabel ran and hid behind their shed. She waited till she heard him come and as soon as it sounded like he was at the corner she reached out and poked his nose and said, “Bee boop, got you broseph.” and again she started running. 

Neither of them noticed that Waddles and Valerie had again captured a little golf ball wearing wooden clogs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well finally another denizen of Gravity Falls has appeared in Piedmont.  
> Thanks to everyone who reads my stories, I'm glad I was able to provide you with a brief respite from your day and I hope you have enjoyed my continuing forays into the realm of Gravity Falls. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already. 
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 1-14-25 9-4-5-1-19 15-14 23-8-1-20 9-19 4-18-1-23-9-14-7 24-5-14-4-25 20-15 20-8-5 2-21-14-11-5-18?


	7. Chapter 7

** Chapter 7 **

“I can't believe you sent her that pic.” Dipper said as the twins tussled in the back yard.

“What, it's not like she hasn't seen you in the lamb costume before,” Mabel responded as she attempted to gain the upper hand until they both heard a shrill voice yell “Unhand me you porcine brute!”

“Wait? What?” the twins said in unison.

“Is that?” Dipper started.

“It's Franz,” Mabel replied before running up to Waddles, “Alright Waddles, let him go. Now Waddles.” Finally she get's Franz out of Waddles mouth and took him behind the family's shed. 

“Thank you, Hugeling Mabel.” Franz said once he was back on terrafirma. He adjusted his hat to make sure it was on straight and then continued to speak, “This is the second time today he and his feline friend has accosted me.”

“What are you even doing here Franz?” Dipper asked as soon as he had stopped speaking.

“Well, Hugeling Dipper. I'm here as an ambassador of my people to ask for your help in a grave matter. Recently all 18 kingdoms of Lilliputtans have had some of our people go missing. I have been sent to beseech you, the Heroes of Weirdmageddon, to come back Gravity Falls to the aid of my people.” Franz explained.

“Wait, what?” the twins replied in stereo. 

“We wish for your help, was I not clear in my statement?” Franz asked in puzzlement.

“Are you crazy? The last time we saw you before we ran into you at the shack you were trying to kill us over a sticker.” Dipper let loose, “A sticker!” 

“Well it was a nice sticker.” Franz tried to sound repentant.

“It was a sticker!” Dipper nearly screamed at the little man. “You all were going to gut my sister over a sticker. Give me one reason I shouldn't just give you back to Waddles.”

“And we are sorry about all of that, we were all caught up in our rivalries and lost in the thought of finally being able to end them. It was wrong of us then, but now we need your help.” Franz is now on his knees pleading. 

“Tell you what, you silly little golf ball head. We are going to be talking with our friends in Gravity Falls in just a little bit.” Mabel said trying to disperse the tension between Dipper and Franz, “For now we'll have to sneak you inside. We're already working on a mystery there that may be tied into your missing people. There have also been both Gnomes & Fairies that have been turning up missing in the woods amongst other things.”

Dipper turn's from the Lilliputtin and walked back towards he house. He knows he will have to help the little nuisance but that doesn't mean he needs to like it. As he is walking back he looks at his phone and realizes that Wendy has sent him three messages apparently while he was tussling with Mabel and dealing with the twit of a golf ball. 

He opens up the first message 'I've made it back to the Shack safely, thought I'd let you know as I know you have been worried about me today. The next two texts will be the pics you wanted.' 

He then open the next text and there were three pics attached to it: the first was the front of the stone version of himself, next was a shot from the back, and finally a close up of the forehead area where he could just make out part of his birthmark. The last text held two pics: the first is the stone Blind Ivan from the front and the second was a back shot also. Well besides the birthmark, which he already knew about, the pictures really aren't that helpful. Maybe once he transfers them to his computer he can get a better look at them. 

“I'm sorry for Dipper acting like a dumb head, he's just overly protective of me. The fact that you guys went Cray-cray isn't helping that.” Mabel apologizes to their little guest, before she picks him up to carry him indoors. “No idea how we're gonna explain you if my parents see me carrying you.”

**Gravity Falls 6:25 PM  
Mystery Shack**

“Alright has everybody showed up?” Soos said as he looked around the old Wax Museum room, “Let's see Melody, McGucket, Wendy, Candy, Grenda, Pacifica, and Tambry. Hmm, are we missing anybody?” 

“Well the rest of the guys are working tonight so Wendy & I are it for our group.” Tambry answered as she was looking over the two statues in the corner of the room. 

“Well, the only other people who we would want to be here are from the Pines family.” Candy added to the conversation. She was still missing her friend even though she talked to her nearly every day. 

“Yeah!”, Grenda piped in. 

Satisfied that they're all gathered he goes back over to make sure the laptop and camera were on and working. Taking a moment he positioned himself in front of the camera and turned to make sure it should be able to see most of the room easily. He would have to remember to thank Pacifica and Tambry for working together to get the system set up so quick. Once he was certain it was all good he went on over to stoke the coals in the fire place and make sure one last time everyone was ok. 

Melody went about making sure everyone had gotten to the snack table and was just in as good as mood as could be while standing in a room with two people who had been turned to stone in it. At one point in her life all of this would have been really weird, but after dating a magician and then having a rogue AI take over the animatronics in a pizzeria seeing a statue that remarkably like a friend turned to stone isn't that much of a deal. 

Less than 5 months Pacifica would never have dared to lowered herself to be seen even talking to this ragtag group gathered in this Shack, now as she looks at everybody here she has realized that this group has not even judged why she is here? She is now included into the extended “family” that makes up the Mystery Shack family and really couldn't be happier. 

Everyone suddenly turned towards Soos as “Disco Girl” suddenly erupts from his phone. He looks at everyone and says, “Not a word.” and then answers the phone, “Hey Dipper dude. Yeah we're all set up over here. Alright see you in a moment.” he turned to Tambry and said, “Hit it.”

“In three. Two, one.” and with that the screen lights up as the video chat has started between the two groups, “Hello Piedmont.” 

“Hey guys,” Mabel yells waving her arms wildly, “It's so good to see everyone. Grenda. Candy. Pacifica.”, as far as she can tell no one saw the slight blush that she felt. 

“Hello Mabel, Dipper. Wait a minute, is that Franz with you two?” Pacifica asked as she looked closer at the screen. 

“Yeah,” Dipper replied, “Long story short, The Lilliputtins are also missing people. I'm beginning to think that our two statues may actually be just side effects of whatever is out there. They just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides these two nearly every other denizen that has gone missing has been on the small side. I've been researching creatures that have been associated with petrification abilities. Most people know about Gorgons & Gargoyles. There are also some variations on the Vampire myths, Magic spells, and some possible Spirits. But really I'm thinking it's not any of these.” He took a breath before continuing, “The Gorgons & Gargoyles would be keeping their victims not leaving them to be found. The Vampires would still leave bite marks on them. Most of the spells I've found would've effected some of the surroundings of our victims. Spirits would leave some sort of extra eerie feeling attached to them. There's also our old friends the Eyebats, but most of them have seemed to have lost their petrification ability. Really that's leaving me to thinks it's one of our smaller suspects like maybe an Indian Rock Boa, a Cockatrice, or a Basilisk. And I'm wanting to knock out the Cockatrice due to it's petrification being usually related to some type of bite. All three of these are suspected of being able to digest their rocky victims.”

As he was talking everyone was nodding a little, a couple looking a somewhat perplexed, Tambry was possibly taking notes on her phone, even Franz seemed to be following him. He looked over to Mabel and nodded as she seemed ready to take the stage. 

“Alright, my sillies I've taken the pleasure of sketching out all of our suspects. I'm gonna show you guys all of my art here but I'll also be texting them to you also. I've added a few of my own personality to the drawings but it'll give you all an idea of what to look for.”

She goes through drawings of each adding in her own ideas on what they may sound like. She even added a few others her brother seemed to have missed like the Naga and the Lamia. These two shocked Dipper as he had thought he had covered all of the possibilities in his research but apparently he 'Venkman's Guide' was actually a good source for her to work from. 

“Alright, any questions?”, Dipper asked after Mabel was done showing them the drawings. 

“What are we to do if we come across any of them?”, Grenda asked, “Is there any way to protect ourselves?” 

“Good questions.” Dipper started. “Most sources say that a good portion of them have to be able to lock eyes with you before they can turn you to stone. So I'm thinking reflective sunglasses and hand mirrors should be useful. The Gargoyle and the Rock Boa both rely on touch to do their damage. Basically if it's one of these just try to not get touched. The Vampires and the Cockatrice rely on a bite to petrify, but the Cockatrice can also kill you by looking you in the eyes, so again try not get close enough to be bit but also have the glasses and mirror ready.”

“I reckon I might be able ta come up with somethin that might be able ta help,” McGucket piped up. “I might need some help though.” 

“I am willing to help if needed,” Candy threw in her two cents, “We also need to be thinking of what to do with the creature if we are able to capture it.”

“Though we're not on the best of terms with them maybe Grenda & I can go check out if the Unicorns have anything that might be able to help.” Wendy added. 

“I'm in,” Grenda added with a smirk, “especially if we don't have to be nice about it.” 

“I'll see if Robbie's parents will let him have some time off tomorrow and we'll check out the library here to see if there's anything we can do for these two.” Tambry said motioning over to Francis & Toot-toot. 

“What can we do?” Soos asked indicating him and Melody. 

“Right now Soos, you two stay and run the Shack. We'll want somewhere to make sure we have as a home base.” Dipper commented. 

“How's it gonna be a home base if you're all the way down there, Dip?” Pacifica asked trying to still sound as snarky as she used to be but not really fooling anyone. She's missing the twins as much as anyone. 

“We're gonna try to be up there during fall break if not sooner.” Dipper answered Pacifica but intentionally looked towards Wendy. “And now on to some other stuff. As most of you know by now, we've gotten an unplanned extra two days off of school this weekend. Yes, that is me in the videos and yes I did get into two fights over the last couple of days. Unfortunately our school has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to fighting, so since we were defending ourselves we were given a two day suspension. So yay, wimpy lil Dipper has a school record now.”

“Well, I plan on using some of that time to start working on Christmas gifts for everyone.” Mabel chimed in. “I'm also gonna start making sure I carry a camera everywhere we go so I can record my bro-bro kicking some major booty every time someone tries to step up.” Dipper shot her a dirty look at that one and half of the people on the other side of the screen cracked up. 

“And now finally for the other elephant in the room, I know I've discussed this with a couple of you,” Dipper said looking at Soos & Wendy, “but I'm sure a the rest of you are wondering how I could be here talking to you while right in the room with you is a nearly perfect duplicate version of me. Well a while back we,” he indicated Mabel and himself, “came across a machine that was able to make nearly perfect physical duplicates of a person and through some bad decisions I made at the time some clones of myself were made. After a drawn out ordeal all but two of the clones were destroyed. These two were spared as they had been sent out on an errand and never returned. We have nothing to fear from them as they were mentally an exact duplicate of myself up to that moment. I do believe they have since developed their own personalities as they diverged from me and have had different lives since that point. The one in the corner there I am given to understand has taken the name Francis and his twin goes by the name Tony. Now I'm trusting that this doesn't go beyond our circle represented here.”

“Wait a minute, ok, I know this town is a magnet for weirdness but really clones.” Pacifica responded. “You're expecting us to believe this.” 

“Well how else would you explain it?” Dipper questioned her. 

“Well, uhmm...” She tried to think 

“They wouldn't be the first clones you know Paz,” Mabel responded, “Several Timez were clones and they came into the town that way.” 

Pacifica looked a bit surprised at this, she knew the group had disappeared after their manager was arrested and that they had later turned up at the Shack during Weirdmageddon, but really she hadn't thought that much about why either event had happened. 

“I was hoping you'd be more receptive to the idea Paz,” Dipper added, “cause I was gonna ask you to try and track down Tony. Your family still has several connections that the rest of us lack and with your keen eye for troublemakers I figured you be the best person to ask. Right now all I have to go on is he looks like me and an E-Mail address” 

“Well since everyone else is doing something I guess I'll have to do it,” Pacifica answered sourly though secretly she was glad there was something for her to do other than just be sitting in the background while everyone else was helping. 

“Alright that's all we have right now. Be careful out there, we really don't want the shack to gain any more attractions do to this, ok? We'll be contacting everyone with their required info later and the pics will be sent out shortly after we're done here.” Dipper said as he prepared to end the chat. After everyone had goodbye they shut down the connections and Tambry went about unhooking the her laptop from the wall outlet.

Every milled about mostly breaking into the groups they had worked out and discussed their plans. Around 8 everyone had finally dispersed, so Melody and Soos finally settled down and really let everything sink in. 

**Woods outside of the Shack**

'I still don't know why I keep getting drawn out this way, especially when we have who knows what type of creature out here somewhere attacking people and turning them to stone.' Wendy was thinking to herself as again she finds herself out in the woods near the Bunker. 'I should have went ahead and gotten the ride from Tambry & the girls, but I really didn't want to be stuck in a car with little Miss Priss, Pacifica. I know she's not as bad as she used to be, but something about her still rubs me the wrong way. I don't know if it's her haughty attitude or what, but something still does.' 

Wendy looks around and finally realizes where she has ended up. 'Ok, why do I keep getting drawn out here. Recently it seems I can't go for a walk without coming this way. Maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me that I really need to go check out the Bunker again. Ah what the heck I'm already here.' she thinks as she starts climbing the tree to hit the switch. She does a quick release and lands just outside of the collapsing pathway that appears around the outside of the tree. Steeling her self she heads down the stairs. 

As she again walks into the outer room she stops to admire the trophy case of Dipper's and realizes just how much her boy had done over the summer and how most men she knew wouldn't have been able to survive what all he has gone through. As she was looking at case her gaze passes over the magna gun, the Society mind gun, the flashlight with the crystal attached to it, a karaoke machine, an orb of some type that appears to be constantly shifting, and finally she again is drawn to the eerie looking ax. She doesn't know why but for some reason she can almost feel a kinship to the ax. 

As she's finally turning to leave, deep in her mind she hears, “Wendy Corduroy...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things to mention here:  
> First I want to acknowledge I used an idea from SuperGroverAway in the last chapter and forgot to mention it, mainly the fact that Dipper is addicted to hot sauce. I loved this lil addition he had created in his story Champs and just had to throw it in.  
> Another as I was writing the last two chapters someone had posted (as Alex Hirsch) claiming that since the fans had demanded it that he would reveal Dipper's real name as Michael, this actually turned out to be a hoax busted by Alex himself. So I don't have to go through and change Dipper from being Marlon after all.   
>  Again I'm hoping I haven't went too ooc for the characters. This is already my longest fic but hoping I'm gonna at least have 3-5 more chapters. It's definitely a Wendip and at least freindship Mabcifica.   
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.   
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 20-8-5 3-18-5-1-20-21-18-5 9-19 15-14-12-25 20-8-5 2-5-7-9-14-14-9-14-7 15-6 20-8-5 16-18-15-2-12-5-13-19.


	8. Chapter 8

** Chapter 8 **

**Gravity Falls 10 pm  
Mystery Shack**

“Yeah dawg, she left a couple of hours ago when everybody else did. I think she was getting a ride from Tamby.” Soos answering questions from someone on the phone, “Ok, so Candy said she wanted to walk home instead. Have you tried calling her house to see if her dad has heard from her? Ok. Ok. And Dan said she hasn't gotten home yet. Look Dip this is Wendy we're talking about. She can handle anything these woods can throw at her with a blindfold on and one hand tied behind her back.”

Melody walked into the living room at the end of that exchange and glanced over at her boyfriend with a questioning look, so he put his hand over the receiver end and said, “Dipper's trying to reach Wendy and she's not picking up. She's also not at home and he's scared that something has happened to her.” 

“Shoot, I'll get grab a couple of flashlights.” Melody told Soos as she almost instantly turned back to the towards the kitchen to get the flashlights and some quick supplies. 

“Melody & I are gonna head out to see if we can find her. I'll call as soon as we get back. She'll be safe, dood.” Soos reassures his frantic friend as Melody comes back into the room, “Alright, we're heading out now, go ahead and double check with Tambry ok?”

Soos took one of the flashlights and headed out to the gift shop. He grabbed the baseball bat from under the counter in case they end up needing a weapon. As one they headed out the door. Turning on their flashlights they turned and walked across the parking lot towards the woods. They get about ten foot into the woods before Melody stops Soos,“Wait a minute, quiet. Do you hear that?”

Soos stops and listens very intently, he is barely able to make out music coming from the Shack. 

“Is that 'Disco Girl'?” Melody asks as she turns back towards the Shack. Without answering Soos started heading back to the Shack with Melody quickly catching up to him. “It seems to be coming from the roof.”

“Her secret spot,” Soos said as he raced inside and revealed the ladder to the roof. He climbed it and saw Wendy was apparently asleep on the lawn chair she keeps up on the roof. Melody was up shortly after Soos. They came up besides Wendy and tried to wake her. It took couple of minutes of shaking before she started coming around. 

“Soos, Melody, what's going on? Why am I on the roof?” Wendy asked still feeling groggy, “What time is it? Is the meeting over?”

“Let's get you downstairs, then I need to call your dad and a certain friend of yours. He's been worried sick about you.” Melody said almost going into a protective mother mode. She's doesn't do it often but in the short time she has been with them she really has adopted these guys as her family. 

Soos & Melody helped Wendy get to her feet and slowly walked her to the ladder. Once there Soos went down first in-case he needed to catch Wendy if she fell coming down the ladder. Wendy followed and even though she was still groggy she climbed down the ladder like it was nothing. Finally Melody came down. They walked Wendy into the living room and sat her down in the chair. Finally they each grabbed their cell phone and each dialed a number. 

“Dan, we found Wendy. Apparently she climbed up to break spot and fell asleep.” Melody told her friend's father, “We'll keep her tonight, alright?”

“Hey Dipty-dawg. We found Wendy. We were on our way out to the woods to look for her, when we heard her phone ringing. She was out at her break spot and apparently crashed.”, Soos told Dipper after he answered, after pulling the phone away from his ear as Dipper yelled a reply, “Calm down dood, I meant she was asleep.” 

“Yeah, we're telling Dipper about her now. Yeah, I know the little guy worries about her.” Melody was still talking to Dan, “Yeah, I've seen the way he looks at her, too. They'll figure it out sometime. Talk to you later.” 

“Alright Dip, I'll have her call you when she gets up. Pass it down the line that she's good ok. Dan knows. Talk to you tomorrow, Dip.” Soos said as he was getting off of the phone. 

Soos went and grabbed a blanket out of his closet and covered Wendy with it. If he had looked back as he left he would have seen a light blue glow coming from her right wrist. 

**Piedmont, California 10:30 pm  
Dipper's room**

“She crashed! Is she ok? Do I need to get up there?”, Dipper was practically yelling into his phone after hearing what Soos said, “Oh. Ok. Good. Good.”

“What happened, Dipper?” Mabel ran in asking after hearing Dipper yell. Dipper held up his hand to signal he'd tell her in a moment.

“Tell her I'm glad she's ok and I'll talk to her tomorrow. Yeah Mabel's here so we'll let everybody know. Do we need to tell her dad?” Dipper continued his side of the conversation, “Alright, thanks Soos.” 

And with that he hung up his phone. He turned to Mabel and gave her the update. He finished off with, “So we need to pass the info along to the rest of the gang. I'll take Tambry & Fiddleford, You reach your girls.” 

“Got it,” Mabel said as she head back out towards her room. 

Dipper then starts typing out a text to Tambry letting her know that Wendy was ok and had only fallen asleep on the roof of the shack. After that was sent he dialed Fiddleford. After the third ring McGucket answerwed, “Just letting you know Soos and Melody found Wendy. So we don't have to worry about postponing the plans to have a search party tomorrow.” 

**Gravity Falls  
McGucket Mansion**

“That's good to hear, I reckon. Now I guess I can hold off on finishing up these blueprints for my Compact Humanoid Automated Recon Geographical Equipment suit, I'll go back to getting stuff ready for the brainstorming session tomorrow with friend of your sister's. Thanks again for asking me to help out, it always feels good ta be needed.” the high tech redneck said.

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

“Yeah, thanks for the concern. You know you're almost family now. And maybe save the suit's blueprints and we might find a use for it during a later adventure.” he replied to the inventors response. He got a reply alert so he ended the conversation. “I'll talk to you later to see what you and Candy have come up with. Have a good night, Fiddleford.” he waited for his departure and ended the call.

He opened up the text, 'G8, the gang & I were about to head out and look for her. Thompson to join Robbie & I at the library tomorrow. Nate & Lee to help McGucket.' He typed back, 'Sounds good. Talk at you tomorrow night.'

**Mabel's room**

“Thanks Paz, yeah we're glad she was found too. Did you get the Email info from Dipper yet?,” Mabel waited for her response and then added, “I hope you don't think we're asking you to do any less than the rest, Dip is actually worried about his clones. He's afraid for them cause they don't have his experience.” She paused again to wait on Pacifica to comment, “No, he doesn't think you're incapable of handling yourself if things get hairy. Actually I'm the one who asked him to have you do a less dangerous job.” She pulled the phone away from her ear as Pacifica let loose with a tirade. She finally broke in attempting to calm her down, “Look please do this job. I'l... we'll make sure you can do more to help after this. Ok?” She heard Pacifica relent and say good bye before hanging up without Mabel getting to respond.

“I just wanted to keep you safe, I didn't want you mad at me.” Mabel sighed to someone who can no longer hear her. 

**Gravity Falls  
Pacifica's room in her families new, much smaller mansion.**

“I'm glad she's ok, don't want Dipper to lose it during this.” Pacifica said after hearing the news about Wendy.Yeah at one point she thought she might like to get close to Dipper, but unfortunately she saw his devotion to the lumberjill wasn't anything she could counter. Realizing Mabel had asked her about the Email she responded, “Yeah, it was waiting on me when I got home. It should prove to be an easy job for me to track him down, probably too easy.” she responded before listening to what Mabel had to say, “Even after I faced down that ghost & Bill with you guys he still doesn't believe I have what it takes to help you all in the field.” She was actually more mad when she heard it was Mabel who didn't want her in the field. She had fought beside her against that lil golf ball troll Franz. “YOU, YOU didn't want me in the field. We've stood together against hundreds of little menaces, one of which is now in your home! But you don't trust me to be in the field! I thought we were becoming better friends, Mabel? I thought you were trusting me more to be a help...”, at that point Mabel broke in trying to placate her, “Fine, I'll do this for the group, goodbye.”

She hung up before Mabel could respond and threw the phone across room where it landed in a pile of imported stuffed animals, almost in the lap of a German teddy bear that was now wearing a yellow llama sweater. How could either of them think she was useless, they were the ones who had helped her come out of her old snobby shell. They were the ones who helped her become a better person. They were the only ones she was actually worried about impressing anymore, and she knew her money wouldn't do that for her. She wanted to be useful. To one day be an equal with them. 

She grabbed her phone and the teddy bear and laid her head down on her pillow. It took awhile before she was able to get to sleep.

**Piedmont, California  
Mabel's room.**

'I better get the message to Candy and Grenda, luckily Grenda spent the night at Candy's.', Mabel thought once she had calmed down after Paz had yelled at her for not believing in her

She dialed Candy's cell and let it ring till she got the voice-mail, “Hey gals, Soos & Melody found Wendy. She ended up climbing up to the roof of the Shack and fell asleep. Which is funny now that I think about it, she usually goes up via a ladder on the inside.” She pauses as she hears a beep signaling an incoming call.

After looking at the caller ID she ends the voice-mail and answers the phone. “Candy I was just leaving you a message...” she got out before Candy interrupted her.

She listened intently as Candy explained why she hadn't answered. The more she heard the wider her eyes became. Finally she yelled out, “Dipper!!” 

Dipper ran down the hall as fast as he could, really glad their parents were heavy sleepers. As he entered her room he asked, “What's so important that you had to yell loud enough you would’ve woken Grunkle Ford after one of his week long science binges?”

“Candy and Grenda, they've found Tony.”, Mabel answered looking almost as shocked as he felt. 

“What? How? When?”, he questioned almost incoherently.

“Hold on.” She said to her brother. “Candy, Dipingsauce is here. I'm putting you on speaker. Tell us again what happened.”

**Gravity Falls  
Candy's back yard**

“Hi Dipper,” Candy said in her usual tone. “Well, it's actually very funny. Grenda and I were just fishing up a game of 'Which Cutie Am I?', when we saw a flash light beam outside my bedroom window. Knowing my father was asleep, and not having any house behind us we decided to go check it out. Don't worry we were armed.”

“They came at me with a badminton racquet and a volume of an encyclopedia.” A voice that sounded remarkably like Dipper's but different somehow, almost smoother. “The Multi-bear wasn't that scarey.”

“Alright, Tony. Tell them why you are here,” Grenda grunted, mentally comparing this wannabe Dipper to her friend's brother and finding him lacking. 

“Yes, this is the real interesting part,” Candy almost giggled as she said it.

“Well, before we got separated, My brother and I had been talking about the last time he had almost gotten caught scrounging supplies near the Corduroy house. I had,” Tony stammered there a little embaressed by the whole situation.” well, reminded him of a vow we had made after hearing about what had happened at the party. He then happened to mention he was only there for the supplies cause he was actually interested in one of Mabel's friends. The two that Mabel had stayed after the party. When I hadn't heard back from you I figured I'd try to find one of them. While down town, I happened to see both of them in a car with one of Wendy's friends. I started following them and kept up the best I could in order to see if my brother had abandoned me to try to reach out to the girl he liked. I really didn't know what to do. This is the longest we have been apart.”

Dipper felt bad for not responding right off but he wanted input from the rest of the group, seeing he was no longer there to handle it in person. He was about to apologize when Mabel spoke up. 

“I have a couple of quick question's for you mister,” Mabel went into her 'this is so cute, but I need to be serious mode'. The last time Dipper remembers seeing her like this was during the whole ordeal with the Love God. “First off have either you or your 'brother' gotten into a fight with the fairies over an aloe plant before?”

'Ok,' Dipper thought, 'what in the world is she going on about now?'

“Uhm, yes we have. How did you know about that?”, seeing the surprised looks on the two girls here and almost feeling Dipper's shock over the phone. “Shortly after we were 'born' we discovered we still needed liquid nourishment. The problem was we knew what would happen if we tried to drink anything. It was shortly after that, during one of our early foraging runs, Francis happened to fall off of the back fence at the Dusk2Dawn. He happened to land on an aloe plant that someone had thrown away or something. Knowing the plant is known for it's juicy pulp I had feared the worst. But after getting to his side I saw that not only did the aloe pulp not dissolve him, it actually helped him somehow. He's always the more adventurous of the two of us, so when he saw it hadn't killed him he tried digesting some of it. The plant matter in the pulp seemed to inhibit our dissolving and allowed us to get the hydration we needed. After that nearly every trip into town we would buy an aloe plant or three in order to survive.”

Again Dipper was about to make an observation about their resourcefulness when Mabel cut him off. 

“Alright now for question two, during any of these foraging trips did you or your brother go missing for a couple of hours only to turn up with some vague remembrances of what happened, maybe coming to near the Natural History Museum?” Mabel was now going into full on Mystery twin mode. 

Dipper was starting to wonder where these questions were coming from? He looked at Mabel about to ask when she just grabbed his lips and mouthed 'Give me a minute.'

“Ok, let me think about it. Hmm,” Tony said and he started rubbing his chin an a way that looked awfully familiar to Grenda & Candy. “now that mention it. Sometime after we made our pact, it took him nearly twice as long to get the aloe. He said it was because he ran into Toby Determined by the Museum and had to talk his way out of Toby having just seen Dipper leaving the arcade. That was around the time the water-tower nearly fell over. I remember now cause that was when he was able to convince me to go ahead and try to live our lives elsewhere. So we came up with the Clondike last name and tried our luck a few towns over. I wish I had never talked him into coming back here.”

Dipper had listened to his story and added it up with Mabel's questions and began to understand what happened. Apparently One of the Society members must have caught Francis fighting the fairies and they had zapped him. But how did Mabel know about it? He doesn't remember seeing a tube with his name on it there, but he only went through them until McGucket had found his memories. His questioning eyes almost bore a whole into Mabel, but she held his lips still so he couldn't ask her yet.

“Alright and now for the final and most important question I have for you.” Mabel intoned. “Which of my friends did your brother have the crush on, the Master Matchmaker needs to know?” 

“I hope it's not me,” Grenda bellowed, “Cause I already have a boyfriend and don't really want to be a heartbreaker.” 

“That's one of your important questions?”, Dipper finally had pulled his lips free to speak. Mabel just stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Well, to be honest he never got a chance to answer that for me.” Tony said in a tone almost To quiet to be heard. “He disappeared right in the middle of that very conversation.”

“Here, here. Let my soothing voice help you,” Grenda said as she pulled him into a group hug that also included Candy.

“All man, I 'm sorry I didn't respond as soon as I read your message. With not being there in Gravity Falls I wanted to wait and talk it over with the rest of our friends to make sure this didn't seem like just some type of hoax.” Dipper tried his best to sound sympathetic to Tony's problem, which in a way he really was. Tony sounds like he's feeling the way I felt at the beginning of Weirdmageddon when I thought I'd lost Mabel forever. “We're gonna help you, but unfortunately I have some good news and I have some down right terrible news. The good news is we know where Francis is at, he's at the Shack.” Dipper heard a joyous gasp come from Tony before he continued, “Unfortunately he's there because he was found petrified in the woods by Wendy's dad, Manly Dan.” 

After hearing the last part nearly all of life seemed to drain out of Tony. The fact that Grenda and Candy were holding him in the hug was the only thing keeping him vertical. He began nearly convulsing in heavy dry sobs. Finally a single tear slide down his left cheek, leaving behind a single scar in it's former path.

Dipper again apologized for not letting him know earlier, but really he thought this may have have been better. Here, now, he has people who would consider him a friend and help him as much as needed. He finally asked, “Do the two of think you can help him tonight. I'll ask Soos to come get him tomorrow so he can be with his brother.”

Both girls knew that Tony needed friends now more than anything and readily agreed to help him as much as they can. Grenda finally hefted him up over her shoulder as she carried him indoors. They would worry about what will happen if Candy's dad finds out about him tomorrow if needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this certainly was one long night. I'm not sure who got the worst of it though, Tony or Dipper, or Wendy. We'll just have to wait and see. This mystery is almost to a conclusion and then the real fun begins.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already. 
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.


	9. Chapter 9

** Chapter 9 **

**Gravity Falls 7:30 AM  
Mystery Shack Living Room**

'Ugh, what hit me,' Wendy thought as she suddenly woke up. She quickly realized she wasn't at home in her bed. “Ok, what's going on here?” she asked no one in particular. Looking around she figured she was at the Shack, 'How'd I get back here, the last I remember I had just told Tambry I needed to walk home to burn off some built up energy. And now I'm in the living room of the Shack. What the hell happened?'

She got up, went into the kitchen, and grabbed a bowl of cereal thinking it might help her clear her head. 'Ok I remember I really didn't want to ride home with Tambry because of someone in the car. Uhm, was it Robbie? No, no we're cool now. And he wasn't even at the meeting. No, it was lil miss perfect, Pacifica. That's right. I still don't trust her, I know the twins have started to but I still don't. Not completely sure why, I'm vaguely remembering something about her families yearly party.' she's rubbing her temples trying to work it all out. For some reason she's actually having trouble remembering a few more things than just what happened last night. 

After she finished the bowl of cereal she washed and dried the dishes she used. As she headed back into the living room, her hand absent mindedly brushed her phone, 'Shoot, I'd better check it out.' she thought as she pulled it out of her pocket before she sat back down in the chair she apparently slept in last night. 'Sheesh, 30 texts and nearly that many missed calls. It looks like Dipper and Dad kept trying to reach me. What the hell was I doing?' She looked at the texts; 3 from Lee, 2 from Robbie, 2 from Nate, 3 from Thompson, 8 from Tambry, 4 from Mabel, 2 from Grenda, 3 from Candy, 2 from Soos, and 1 from Pacifica. 'The last one was surprising to say the least. Most seemed to be of the 'Where are you?' and 'Are you ok?' style. They were all worried about me? What was I doing last night?'

After she finished reading the messages, she started listening to the voice-mail mails: “Wendy, did you make it home ok?” - Dipper, “Wendy, where are you? I know you had a late meeting at work but you should've been home by now?” - Dad, “Wendy where are you? Just talked to your dad after   
you haven't been picking up. Did I do something wrong? Are you ok?” - Dipper, “Wendy, your little man called looking for you, where are you at girl?” - dad, “Wen-wen, where are you? Dipster is freaking out. He thinks you're mad at him still. I've told him he's paranoid, please don't make me a liar. We're all worried about you.” - Mabel, “Dood, where are you. It's been two hours since you left. Everyone is looking for you, heck McGuket ia talking about building a search and rescue contraption to head out to find you.” - Soos, “Honey if we haven't heard from you soon your brothers and I are going out to search for you.” - dad, “Wendy, don't do this to me. I can't have you be petri*sob*, petrified. I haven't been able to get up there to *deep sigh into a sob* talk to you yet? Be safe please.” - Dipper, and more like these. 'What the hell happened last night? Why am I having so much trouble remembering?'

“You decent in here, dood?” Soos asked from out in the hall.

“Yeah man. Confused but decent.” Wendy replied to her boss. “What's going on?”

“Oh, I was gonna ask you that, dawg” Soos said as he rounded the corner to enter the room. “You left last night's meeting with everyone else and then you just dropped off of the face of the earth.” 

“What?” Wendy shot him a quizzical look.

“Yeah, you were gone for almost four hours, near the end of that time Dipper was almost ready to run all the way up here to look for you, dood. If he could have made it, from what Mabel told me he was so bad, he made you from the day your dad found Francis seem stoic.” 

Wendy blushed remembering how much it hurt her thinking she had lost him forever and realizing he must have been thinking the same thing last night. It explained the messages, “What happened? If I was gone that long I guess dad must have come & found me…” She shook her head as soon as she had said that, “No, I'd have been at home if he had found me. Why am I here?” 

“Well, Melody and I were heading out to do a quick search before anyone else got here and as we had gotten to the woods we heard a distinctive ringtone coming from somewhere by the Shack. When we got back we realized it was coming from the roof. You were up there asleep.” Soos explained, “The weird thing is you weren't up there the last time I had checked & it was one of the first places I checked, dood.”

**Piedmont, California 8:20 AM  
Mabel's room**

“I really just want to apologize again.”, Mabel was talking into her cell phone, “I mean it. Last night was weird all around and I didn't mean to upset you. I wasn't trying to say I didn't think you could handle yourself, it's like you said last night we're just becoming better friends. I really didn't want you to be in danger.” She paused to hear what was said. In almost a whisper she added. “I was just trying to keep you safe since I couldn't be there to do it myself.” 

Mabel get's out of bed and heads to her closet while listening to the person on the other end. She grabs a light purple sweater with a black cat on it, she then grabs dark purple denim skirt. The to get the rest of her outfit. Finally she was able to get back into the conversation, “Actually that is the other reason I needed to call you, the search for Tony has been called off. No I don't mean we think you can't do it, I mean he was found. He was apparently watching Candy's house looking for his brother due to something about a crush on one of my friends. And before you can ask why didn't he try your house, at the time he born we weren't friends yet. But really what this means is you can choose which of the other assignments you want to go help out with, Paz.” 

**Gravity Falls 8:15 AM  
Pacifica's Room**

The light was just slowly breaking through the curtains in her room and it finally started to annoy her enough that Pacifica was starting wake up. She realized she was still clutching the sweater wearing bear like her life depended on it. As she started to roll over so she could try to close her eyes and try to forget for a little longer that she felt that her friends thought she was helpless, she suddenly heard a ringtone that old her it wasn't gonna happen. Digging first under her blankets, then her pillow, and finally under the bear in her arms she finally found her phone.

She took a calming breath and finally answered the call, “Do you even know what time it is Mabel? No, really what time is it? I haven't been able to look at my clock yet.” she said trying to crack a joke. “Alright, it wasn't that funny. What are you calling for this early?” 

She listened as she sat up and held the bear tight, “It's ok Mabel, I know I'm not as tough as Wendy and Grenda or as smart as Tambry and Candy. Without my money I'm practically useless.” She lowered her face as if she was about to cry. Then she realized Mabel was apologizing to her and it sounds like she may really mean it. “Thanks, Mabel.” She said with a smile as Mabel continued. 

“I guess I can see that, but everyone else is out doing stuff and all will be doing is asking someone else to track down a person.” She stopped as she thought she heard Mabel say something, but all she could make out was 'be there myself.' 

'Why would she need to be here herself? Everyone else is covering most of the jobs.' she thought. Finally she said “Well most of the jobs have all been assigned. I guess I understand that. Though now that I think about it, couldn't Tambry have been able to do some of her tech geek work and find this Tony just as easily as me paying someone to do it?”

“What? So now you guys think I can't even do that?” She started to get upset, why would Mabel call and apologize just to shove this in her face now? Wait a minute, did she just say they had found him already? “Where was he?” She then listened intently as Mabel explained.

“So the stone guy had a crush on either Grenda or Candy? Interesting.” she remarked as she listened. Her face actually lit up when she heard she would be able to help which ever group she wanted, that meant she was actually gonna be able to be helpful. “Well maybe I could help out Grenda and uhm, Wendy wasn't it?”

**Piedmont, California  
Mabel's room**

“Ok, I'll let Grenda know you'll be coming along. She's gonna be taking Tony to the Shack to see his brother. I believe they were gonna head out around 1 to get ready. Wendy is already at the Shack. I'm gonna warn you, the Unicorns are not the ones hear about in fantasy stories, these are royal pains. I'm talking major jerks.” Mabel then filled her in on her ordeal with Celestabellebethabelle. 

Mabel combed her hair while relating the story and had just put on her headband as she was finishing the story, “Then they gave us the hair and a treasure chest to leave them alone. It was the unicorn hair that help protect the Shack during Weirdmageddon. I haven't worn a unicorn since that day.” She heard Pacifica laugh at that. “You know when you're laughing with me and not at me you have a pretty laugh there Paz.” she instantly blushed realizing what she said.

“Uhm. Yeah, I'm gonna need you to do one more favor for me on your way to the Shack. I need you to stop somewhere and pick up some aloe plants. We'll need them for Tony and Francis if we can find a cure for his petrification. Alright I'm gonna go before I say something else dumb. Later Paz.”

**Gravity Falls  
Candy's house**

“Alright we have to figure out a way to get him out of here before my mother finds out I have a boy in my room.” Candy stated 

“We could put him in my backpack and I'll carry him out,” Grenda offered.

“I'm not sure he'll fit as well as I am able to,” Candy countered, “Maybe one of us could go distract my parents with something out back.”

“I could break something, maybe a planter or the fence,” Grenda thought out loud.

“Ladies, Maybe you should first make sure they are even home. I heard the front door earlier and a car starting. They may have left.” Tony added, “Candy, it's your family,” he choked at the word thinking of his brother, “you'd be least likely make them suspicious if you were checking to see if anyone was home. If they are and ask why you were wondering, you can always say you heard the car leaving.” 

“Good idea, Tony.” Candy agreed. “You're right, I'll go do that now.” and she headed out into the hall making sure to shut the door as she left. After being gone for a few moments she came back with a note in her hand. “They ran out to get some extra cereal cause they remembered Grenda ate two boxes on her own last time she stayed over. I grabbed you a couple of cereal bars Tony. We have to get you out right now, before they return. We'll meet in a little bit to head to the Shack.”

Candy then looked into the hall and made sure it was clear. Signaling Grenda and Tony, she led them back down stairs and to the backyard.

Once he was outside Tony turned back to the girls, “Thank you again ladies. Grenda, I promise I'll meet you behind Greasy's so we can go to the Shack. I have to see for myself if it's Francis.”

“Alright, be careful Tony.” Grenda said before giving him a hug good bye.

“I will see you later, Tony” Candy said also giving him a friendly hug.

And with that done he heads through the back yard and climbs over the fence. Even now part of him wonders which of these two sweet girls does his brother like. 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

“No, I don't want to hear another good morning song.” Dipper quietly yelled at his temporary roommate as he covers his ears, “Not every morning needs to be greeted by a Dutch musical number, let alone three of them. I can't believe I offered to let you stay here.” 

The Lilliputtian seemed indignant that his morning songs of revelry were not being appreciated. “Well I'm sorry Hugeling Dipper. It is the custom of my people to greet each morning with a hearty song, especially since we spend all our time making others days on the mini golf course. Singing is one of our greatest joys, other than controlling the balls.”

Dipper got up and after knocking Franz into a desk drawer, started to get dressed. Looking at his phone he saw it was nearly 9. 'I wonder if Wendy or Soos are up yet? I really need to hear her voice to know she's ok.' He finished getting dressed and went to brush his teeth. He made sure he had his phone with him the entire time. Finally he went downstairs to fix himself a bowl of cereal and saw Mabel was down also.

“No I don't want any Mabeljuice, sis,” He preemptively told her, “How long have you been up?”

“About a half hour,” she answered before pouring herself a regular glass of OJ, “I made sure to call Paz to tell her she didn't need to hunt down Tony.”

“Was she disappointed?” He asked knowing Mabel would've been more happy to have Pacifica staying safely out of danger.

“She was, cause she thought that we were pulling the job away from her because we didn't have any confidence in her.” Mabel said in a somber tone that definitely sounded Un-Mabel like to Dipper, “At least till I told her she could join any of the groups she wanted to join.”, she added cheering up a little bit, “She's gonna go with Wendy and Grenda to talk to the Unijerks.” 

Dipper nearly did a spit take, “Whoa, are you sure that's a good idea?” 

“Yeah, what wrong with that, Grenda and Candy have already welcomed her into our group with opened arms. And Wendy is cool with anybody, there should be no problem,” Mabel said confidently.

“Uhm, I'm not so sure. Remember the day after the Northwests annual gala, I found a copy of the nest days Gossiper taped to the pinecone target on the flagpole.” Dipper said.

“Ok, so?”

“It was the picture of Pacifica & I dancing, or more to the fact it was only Pacifica from that picture. Back then I thought it may have been from Wendy being overly protective of us, knowing how Pacifica had treated us up til then. Now I'm not so sure. I mean she could've used any pic of Paz, but she happened to use one where Toby had call us the town's cutest new couple.”, Dipper chuckled a little at that. If he hadn't still been head over heels for Wendy he might have been honored that people thought he could be on par socially with Pacifica. 

“Ok, so Wendy threw pinecones at a picture of Pacifca,”Mabel started to reply, “why would it matter if it was one where you where called… Oh.” she added finally putting 2 & 2 together. With a shocked look on her face she asked, “Wait a minute, did you two get together and not tell me?” 

“No, not yet. And don't say anything about this to anybody, I don't want to jinx it. Hell, I feel like I may be jinxing it even talking to you about this, but she did tell me that she wants me to tell her again the next time we see each other in person.” Mabel's face had an overly giddy look about iit as he told her, “She said She wasn't gonna promise her response was going to be different, but she also wasn't gonna say it would be the same. And before you start about me needing to move on or her leading me on it felt good the way she said it to me. And she's even been reminding me that I still need to share it with her again.”

“Why don't you just confess to it the next time the two of you talk?” Mabel giddily asked.

“She wants it to be in person, and really so do I. I want to be able to see her face, to hold her hand, to just be there with her.” Dipper replied wistfully.

**Back in Dipper's room**

“Hello? Hugeling Dipper? Are you there? I need to get out of here. It's dark in here and I'm scared.” Franz was saying while still stuck in the Desk drawer.

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack**

“Well we've figured out that the Gnomes couldn't have lifted you up there, the Manotaurs wouldn't have bothered because it wouldn't have been Manly enough, Multibear doesn't come down this far, Gompers could lift you up, no one brought you up through the building, you don't remember a balding guy with a weird gray jumpsuit, dood I'm stumped,” Soos was saying after the two of them had been sitting in the living room trying to figure out how she got on the roof. 

“I dunno man. Like I said the last I remember I had just turned down a ride home with Tambry. Mostly due to the fact Pacifica was gonna be in for the whole ride. I still don't trust her yet.” Wendy said, not noticing Soos's Zen like look as if he knows why, “I don't even remember you waking me up to come downstairs. It's like I'm missing that whole couple of hours.”

“Oh shoot, dood, I promised Dipper I'd have you call as soon as you woke up. He's gonna be so mad at me.” Soos realized verbally

“I'll tell him I just got up, don't worry I'll take the heat for ya.” Wendy offered as she pulled out her phone. “I better call dad also.”

She got up and headed back towards the attic that Dipper and Mabel had shared not too long ago. Knowing that the room was still empty she just walked into it and sat down on the bed Dipper had been using. She remember that Soos's Abuelita was gonna stay here till she realized how many steps she would've been climbing every night and ended up staying at her house in town.

She dialed her dad first cause she knew he would still be asleep after the late night worrying about her. Getting his voice mail, she left the follow message. “Hey dad, just checking in. Sorry I worried you last night. Apparently all the school & other stress wore me out worse than I thought and I crashed while taking a moment to enjoy the scenery before heading home last night. I'll be home later, I'm gonna go ahead and work a shift to pay Soos back for watching me last night.” and with that she hung up from that call. 

And now the one I really need she thought as she hit in Dipper's number. He picked it up on the second ring, “How ya doing, doofus?” she opened hoping he wouldn't be able to tell how confused she was still feeling. “I've been up for a few but need to get some fuel in the furnace before I tried figuring out where I was for four hours last night. Sorry, I worried you. Believe me it was not intentional.” She paused to here his questions before answering truthfully, “I have no idea what happened. I just remember leaving the meeting and then waking up here this morning. Besides that last night after the meeting till I woke up is a blank.” he broke in again.

Finally she replied, “I wish you were here too. These types of things are so much easier to figure out when you're around.”

She stood for a moment and stared out the main window in the room, “Aw, who am I kidding, I just miss you, dork. You said last night that you guys were gonna be up for fall break. We'll have to do a movie night while you're here.” 

**Piedmont, California  
Pines family dining room**

“Well I better be getting back to the research on a way to possibly reverse the petrification.” Dipper told Mabel as he got up from the table

“Yeah and I need to get started on the gifts.” Mabel replied heading back up to her room. 

As Dipper started up the stairs his phone finally went off. Looking down he saw it was Wendy, so he sat down on the stairs and answered it, “It's great to hear your voice Wendy.” He just stood there sorta staring off into space as he listened to her reply.

“I was so worried last night, What happened?” He waved at his parents as they headed into the dining room to grab some breakfast. “I wish I could be up there to help you. There are several memory exercises I could help you with that.” He took off her hat and just held it as the closest connection to her he had with him. 

Finally his heart jumped again as he heard her say she just missed him. Then she mentioned doing another movie night when the twins get to come up for fall break, “Definitely, I've picked up several cheesy movie dvds for us to watch: Plant Shop From Horrorville, The Glob Of Mars, Fear From The Toybox, Moon Doggie Over Maui, Hello Mummy, Where's Daddy?, and a few more.” 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack attic**

“They sound so bad they have to be good.” Wendy said with a laugh. “This break will not get here soon enough.” She went back over to the bed and laid her head down and sighed. “How's your little visitor liking it down there? Have Waddles or your cat tried to eat him yet?” she chuckled at his response. 

“Well, I'm gonna need to make sure we have enough supplies for Grenda and I. Better make sure to take some chloroform in case that satyr tattle tale tries to call for back up again.” She mused as she was planning on the mission for later in the day. She barely regigstered his last comment, “Wait did you say Pacifica was gonna be coming with us? Wait, why? Isn't she supposed to be looking for that Tony guy?” 

**Piedmont, California  
Pines home stairwell**

Dipper stared off in space for a moment after she essentially said she can't wait to see him. He then realized her next question and answered, “He's being annoying as usual, though he's been pretty quiet since I went to get breakfast. Yeah actually that's how we found him, I think they were trying to figure out who got what part of him when we came upon them. Funny as heck. Oh, shoot. I left him in my room. I better get upper there. I need to get started on the search for a way to unpetrify the two at the Shack.” and he stood up and started to head upstairs. 

As he made it half way up he heard her talk about her part of the mission, “Oh man, I forgot to tell you there's been a change in plans for your trip. Pacifica is gonna be joining you.” He heard response and questions. “She was gonna be working on it, but he ended up apparently at Candy's house last night. He went there thinking his brother might show up as he had said something about being interested in one of Mabel's friends. I ended up having to give him the bad news. Grenda is supposed to bring him with her when she comes to go to visit the Unijerks as Mabel calls them.”

As he was heading into his room he added, “It was Mabel's idea to let Pacifica join which ever group she wanted. I know, I told her it was a bad idea. She's still trying to completely integrate Pacifica into the group. But you know Mabel, once she sets her mind to something only utter failure will stop her.” 

He look at his desk drawer and realizes there is light coming from the upper seam, he walked over and opened the drawer and saw that Franz had turned on the flashlight he kept in there and had even started to rearrange everything into a facsimile of a bedroom. “Oh Hugeling Dipper I thought I was gonna be stuck here forever luckily I found light and sustenance,” he held up a package of cheese & crackers. “Thank you for saving...” and at that Dipper reshut the drawer.

“Ok yeah, he's still being majorly annoying.” Dipper said as he returned to the phone. “Well we both probably need to get going. I know I said it last but you're the one going out into the wilds here so, be careful. I want to be able to have that talk with you, ok. Remember you mean a lot to me.” After hearing her reply of 'You too.' he finally hung up. 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack living room**

Soos had turned on the TV to kill time till Melody woke up as he wanted to let her sleep in after the long night, he was just getting ready to change the channel when a news bulletin interrupted the broadcast. 

“We interrupt 'This Old Mill' for a special news report, today as employees were opening up shop in Gravity Malls today they were surprised to find that just inside the door to the main entrance was a new wooden statue of former Gravity Falls Penitentiary inmate Nick “the Mole” Isaacs, a notorious cat burglar who escape during the summer's unpleasantry. He apparently has been hiding out inside the mall and maybe responsible for a rash of small burglaries inside the mall. He was identified from a photo and a tattoo that wasn't well known as he kept it well hidden. The apparent clothing on the figure had been opened up in order to leave it exposed. There is currently no needs as to what happened to him. I'm Shandra Jirmenez and we'll keep you updated as we learn more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is beginning to take an interesting turn. No one knows what Wendy has went through, even Wendy. More will be found out as the story continues. There should be just three more chapters in this first storyline. I want thank everyone who has stayed on this long. 
> 
> I'm gonna apologize now for possible quality issues over the last two chapters. Two thirds of Chapter 8 was written after midnight as I was coming down from a nervous energy after my mother had a diabetic emergency. And I had been fighting a migraine the last couple of days while working on this chapter. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already. 
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 16-15-15-18 6-18-1-14-26 9-19 14-15-24 1 16-18-9-19-15-14-5-18 15-6 8-9-19 15-23-14 13-1-11-9-14-7


	10. Chapter 10

** Chapter 10 **

**Gravity Falls 12:15 PM  
Out behind Greasy's Diner**

Grenda had pacing back and forth Since Candy's dad had dropped her off and is starting to wonder where Tony was, “Com'on Tony, you need to get your Dipper looking self here so we can get to the Shack.” she said to no one in particular. 

“How often do you do that?” she heard someone who sounds a little bit like Dipper say behind her. She turned and saw Tony walking out from the woods behind the diner. “Talking to yourself is one of the early signs of possible mental illness.” he added as he walked up to her. 

“If you're done having your one sided conversation I suggest we see if Soos is here take us to the Shack.” He said sounding even more gruff than she could muster. 

“What is wrong with you?”, Grenda asked as she put her hand on his shoulder. She really wasn't liking the attitude he seems to have picked up since this morning.

“I dunno, maybe the fact that I had been holding on to the hope that my brother was still alive only to have it ripped out of me. Maybe the fact I'm about to head to a place that 9 others just like me were destroyed, just so I can go see that my brother is now just another item on display so that money grubbing Stan can get richer. Maybe it's just knowing I can't even cry to mourn my brother with risking destroying myself.” He says bitterly as he points to the scar that leads away from his left tear duct and down his left cheek. With that he pulls himself out of her grip and turns to walk away. 

'Man he may look like Dipper but with that attitude I'm not sure how long I'm gonna be able to put up with him.' Grenda thought as she followed him to Soos's waiting truck.

**Mystery Shack  
Former wax museum room**

“Ok, let's see. 3 backpacks, couple granola bars in each, some chloroform, water bottle in each, note pads, butterfly net, glass jar with holes in lid, copy of the incantation, hmm can't think of anything else...” Wendy said as she was mentally checking off a list of stuff for the trip to the see the Unicorns. 

“So where do these Aloe plants fit into the equation?”, Wendy hears from behind her, she turns to see Pacifica standing in the door way with 4 bags probably containing the aforementioned plants.

“Ah, hi Pacifica. Those are actually for the Clones, not the Unicorn mission.” Wendy responded somewhat curtly. 

“Oh I know, I was just trying to break ground on starting a conversation. You know, give us something to talk about.” Pacifica said as she set the plants on the table under the window to help keep them growing. “Besides being in the twins circle of friends we really don't have much in common, so I was trying to, I dunno, keep us from sitting here in silence till Grenda gets here.” By having her back to Wendy she really couldn't tell that Wendy didn't seem to look like she really even wanted to be in the same room as her let alone talk to her. 

“Well what makes you think I even want to talk to you, after the way you treated my friends all summer?”, Wendy said as Pacifica turned around. “You spent most of the summer trying to make Mabel's life terrible even though all she wanted was to be your friend, though I really don't know why. Probably just because she's a decent person and tries to see the good in everyone.” 

“Look I was just trying to keep my… my,” Pacifica started before she quickly stuttered out, then she quickly turned her own venom towards Wendy, “At least I didn't spend most of the summer knowing Dipper had a thing for me only to lead him on and then break his heart telling him he was too young for me.”

“Why you little rich b...”, Wendy started before she was stopped by the thought of what her young friends would think, “Look I never led him on, I actually tried to keep it friendly. He's one of my best friends and even I know I'm bad news relationship-wise, I didn't want to hurt him. Unlike a certain someone who antagonized him till she needed him to do something for her. Someone who didn't act and let everyone including him get turned to wood by a ghost because she was afraid of a little bell her father had. Then once you actually get the guts to do the right thing, you then get your father to have a photo of you dancing with Dipper put in the paper like you two were the second coming of Romeo & Juliet.” 

“That wasn't me that was my father trying to put a positive spin to what he found to be an embarrassing previous night.”, Pacifica countered as the two girls seemed get in each others faces. “Even if I had wanted to try to like Dipper, I knew didn't stand a chance as long he still loved you. I may be a blond, but I'm not stupid. Hell I saw how much he was into you the first night I met the twins and I was in the middle of trying to win some queen of the party contest. You spent most of the dance mooning over some mascara wearing, wannabe goth and all he wanted to do was get a dance with you. Hell, from what I've come to understand, this,” She pointed towards Francis in the corner, “is a result of that night and your inattention of him!” 

Pacifica knew instantly she had said the wrong thing as Wendy's face went even paler if that was possible and saw her back up slowly before she fell to the floor. “I'm sorry, that was wrong to say.” She said as she nearly instantly went to Wendy's side actually hugging the girl she was just ready to fight a moment ago. “I'm so sorry.”

“No you were right, she is to blame.” They heard from the door. 

**McGucket Mansion**

“Mister Mcgucket, I let myself in like your note said.” Candy yelled as she entered the foyer of the huge mansion.

“Back here child,” she heard coming from one of the rooms off to the left of the foyer. She headed down that way and as walked she thought about how much this place had changed since she was last in it. All of the art was gone, the fountain was still here but it looks like it's been painted a rust color, half of the columns in here now have vines growing on them and it looks like it's intentional, and this is just in the foyer. 

“Well there you are, Candy wasn't it?” Fiddleford said as he stepped out of the room, he was not wearing his usual town idiot get up, he mainly wore that around town so people wouldn't think too much different of him. He was now in a set of gray overall and had a filter mask pulled down in order talk easier. “I've been working since I got up this mornin' and I think I may have a thought for a restraining thing a majig if anyone wants to try to take the creature alive.”

“Interesting, I have been trying to think up a way to stop a creature's gaze from working. I remembered reading some Greek mythology for a history class and I remembered the bit about Perseus using a polished shield as reflective device to turn the gorgon's stare back against her. I was wondering if there would be a way of turning a oneway mirror into such a device, that way the would be protected but still able to see what they were fighting.”

“Rootin tootin idea, now I see why the twins call you the inventor of your little troop of friends. I dare say you match Dipper in the smarts area.” Fiddleford said causing Candy to blush a little. “Well let's get you suited up and see if we can put our ideas to work.” and they head into the old ballroom that Mcguket had turned into his lab.

“Yo, Banjo Dude. It's Wendy's friends, Nate & Lee. We're here to help out any if you need it,” Candy & Fiddleford hear shortly after the both start to hunker down to get to work. 

**Gravity Falls Public Library**

Thompson is carrying a stack of books from the mythological and religious sections over to a table where Robbie & Tambry are seated. “That's all I could find so far that deals with mystical petrification in the mythology and religious sections.”

“Man. I know I said I'd help but sesh, isn't most of this stuff on the net now? I figured we'd be glued to the computers looking this stuff up, or whatever.”, Robbie said to Tambry as the stack of books between them had grown again. 

“Come on, Robbie. You of all people should know you can't trust half of what you find on the internet. Remember that one expose you read that said that Love God was actually an overweight cherub.” Tambry says smiling at her dour looking boyfriend. “Hey Thompson, think you could see if there's an arcane lore section?”

“Wouldn't that be covered in one of these sections?”, Thompson asked.

“Nah, man. It's down in the basement back near the crafting and cookbooks.”, Robbie volunteered. He looked up to see both his girlfriend and friend looking at him, “What, I use the section to come up with lyric ideas.” He said with a shrug.

**Mystery Shack  
Former wax museum room**

Greda has Tony pinned against the doorframe yelling at him after he said what he said, “How dare you say that to Wendy?”

“Let him go, doodette.” Soos is saying as he is in the doorway trying to pull Grenda off of Tony, finally realizing how strong his friend of a friend is. 

“Not until he apologizes,” Grenda responses as she starts lifting Tony up despite Soos trying to stop her. 

“Grenda, please let him go?”, Wendy softly asks. “They're both right in a way.” She adds as she looks first at the blond hugging her and then at nearly identical clone of her best friend. There were some differences; his skin is tanner, his eyes are duller, a scar running from his tear duct down his left cheek, and he's got a sneer she's never seen on Dipper. But he still looked like Dipper. She doesn't know what she would do if she ever saw Dipper looking at her like he was, with disgust in his eyes. 

After hearing what Wendy asked Grenda let him with a slight shove towards the statue that was his clone. “Your attitude better start improving little man.” she said as she left the doorway. 

“I'm gonna go sit outside so he can be with his brother.” Wendy said as she got up to head out of the room. She really didn't know what else to say, what started out as a verbal spat with a potential romantic rival has ended with her feeling like she may have ruined the lives of two people that look so much Dipper that it almost hurts. 

“Wendy, you forgot the supplies,” Pacifica said as she grabbed the three backpacks and went to follow the red head. She stop's at the doorway and turns to look at Tony and says, “Your plants are on the table. You may look like Dipper but so far you're nothing like him. He would have never let her hurt like you are and he would've never let me hurt her either.” and with that she left to find Wendy and to apologize again.

“Look, I know you're hurting here dawg, but these people who you seem so upset are doing everything in their powers to try to help your bother and you. You may want to think about that a little bit before you push away people who could easily see you as family. That's my two cents anyways.” Soos turns and starts to head for the door. “Also I heard some of what you had said to Grenda back at Greasy's.” as he got to the door he holds up two fingers and counts them down as he says, “Firstly, Stan would've never have put your brother on display. Secondly I'm in charge here now and I would never do it either.” And with that he leaves shutting the door out on his way out. 

**Mystery Shack  
Front porch**

“Look Wendy I'm sorry, I, uhm,” Pacifica said as she sat down next to the red head, “I really didn't mean what I said in there. I'm still so used to having to put on airs so all my 'friends',” she adds air quotes as she said it, “would know I was in charge. I'm still getting used to having real friends, so that anytime I feel challenged about them I still go into mean girl mode.” 

“I understand, I do. But really what you said in there is true. If I had noticed how he felt back then, if I known he wanted to dance with me then, he wouldn't have made them and they wouldn't be in the trouble they're in now. Hell, if...” Wendy said as she started to break down. 

Both Pacifica & Grenda sat with her and just held her until she was seemed to be composing herself.

“Look girls, thanks.” She gets up and grabs her backpack from the stack. “We have some Unijerks to go see so let's get this trip started. Some physical action will help clear my mind a lil bit. Grenda, your pack has a copy of the chant needed and I've got the map on my phone. We should be ready for this.” As she was walking she started rubbing her right wrist, it's been throbbing since the fight with Pacifica. 

“I remember most of it, but thanks Wendy.” Grenda said as she picked up the pack, she then gave Pacifica a look that said she was still on thin ice with her even after Wendy seemed to have accepted her apology. 

**Piedmont, California  
Pines family living room**

“Alright guys, your mother and I have been talking,” Adam Pines says to his kids while walking in front of the family sofa as the twins are seated. “after the recent events we have decided that we are going to sign you both up for a self defense class.”

Mabel and Dipper both look at each other in a mild case of shock, especially considering their mother was usually pacifistic in her out look on life due to the amount of victims of violence she sees in her job as an ER nurse. It was actually due to this that Elaine Pines had finally relented to allowing her twins to learn to defend themselves. She didn't want to see her kids end up in her ER because they were unable to defend themselves the next time a bully tried to jump them.

“I'll be taking you two times a week to a Practical Self Defense course starting tomorrow night. This isn't a martial arts class, this is one that teach you to defend yourself with whatever you have at hand. I went to school with the instructor so I know he'll be good teacher.” Their father continued as he looked down on their shocked faces.

**Gravity Falls Woods  
Near the magical glade**

“Alright we should be near the glade,” Wendy says as they get near their destination, “Grenda get the chant out. Pacifica in you back pack there should be some rags and a bottle of chloroform in case the satyr tries to call for back up.”

“Ok.” Pacifica nods before she realizes what was said, “Wait, what?”

“Halt,” they hear coming from the glade in front of them, “There is no need for you three to proceed any further.”

At that they see a man in a white leather trench coat and an all white outfit leading a white stallion from the glade. “You will not find the answers you are looking for here.”, He then mounted his horse and rode off before they could say a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming. I have three storyline arcs planned out in my head and in the next couple of chapters I will be ending the first storyline. I hope everyone is liking the character growth I am building here. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 23-8-15 9-19 20-8-5 8-15-18-19-5-13-1-14, 9-19 8-5 1 6-18-5-9-14-4 15-18 6-15-5?


	11. Chapter 11

** Chapter 11 **

**Gravity Falls 2:25 PM  
Gravity Falls Public Library**

“Man this is boring, for reals. We've been going over these books for hours photographing what may be useful. There can't be much worse than this?” Robbie groaned as he had went through his fifth book before looking over at the stack Tambry had that was at least 3x's his. 

“Com'on Robbikin's, we need to help out as much as we can.” Tambry said trying to endear her boyfriend into continuing to help out. “Heck even Nate & Lee are over at the redneck's house helping him and Mabel's lil Asian friend try to help them come up with some scientific aids or maybe being test subjects, you never know with those two.”

She then sets down the book she was looking and realizes she's out, “Hey Thompson, we need some more books, Thompson?” she looks around and notices he's not around. “Robbie, have you seen Thompson?”

“Now that you mention it,” Robbie begins rubbing his chin, “I haven't seen him since we sent him to the Arcane book section.”

“Oh man, I hope he's ok.” Tambry says as she gets up and starts to head downstairs with Robbie right behind her. They get to the bottom of the staircase, “Which way is it to the Arcane section, Robbie?”

“This way, down this aisle pass the cooking section.” he says leading her down the aisle, “Just pass Thompson and some girl I don't know. This should be the, what?” He questions as he feels Tambry stop suddenly.

**Near the mystical glade**

“Who in the world was that?” Pacifica asked looking after the white horseman as he rode out away from the direction they had just came, turning to the other two who had been in this area before she finished, “Someone you know?”

“Never seen him before.” Grenda said still looking at the direction the hot guy in white had went before shaking her head, “No, bad Grenda, you have a boyfriend.” 

Pacifica looked around and really wondered about this area. 'They say we'll be able to find Unicorns here, but really besides the stone circle in the center of this glade I really only see a tall stump with a door and a sign that says Gnasty's,' she scratches her head at that one, 'three really weird orange hued trees to the left of that, & the Fairy Nail salon sign on anther tree on the right side of the clearing. Nothing here screams Unicorn to me.' 

“I'm more worried about what he said about us not finding the answers we were here to look for, what does he mean by that?” Wendy said as she headed even faster to the glade, she looked around Gnasty's is still there and so was the Fairy nail salon, but something still felt off. She just wished her forearm would stop hurting so she could concentrate more, “Grenda do your stuff.”

Grenda went ahead and pulled out the sheet with the chant just to be certain. She then began to bellow the chant. As she finished the ground began to shake and the henge began to rise. 

“Uhm gals, is that door supposed to be open?”, Pacifica asked.

“No, it's been closed every time we've been here.” Grenda said as she carefully headed towards the doorway.

“NO, Stop!” Wendy screamed both in pain and as a warning to Grenda.

Grenda and Pacifica both turn to see Wendy nearly doubled over with her left hand clutching her right forearm.

**Piedmont, California 2:35 PM  
Dipper's room**

Dipper was just laying down trying to relax his eyes. Besides the little bit of time the twins were down learning they would be going to a self defense class, he has been studying the various books he has access to including the photocopied Journal and he still was no closer to figuring out a way to restore the statues to their previous condition. He had decided a little while ago to let Franz out for a bit before he became too comfortable in his desk. But really right now he was just trying to zone out as it was, he was afraid he was becoming too single minded. He pulled the front of Wendy's hat down over his eyes.

He was just really getting his head clear when he suddenly heard, no that wasn't right, he felt Wendy calling out to him. He jolted right up in his bed calling her name. 

Mabel came running down the hall dragging what appeared to be two different balls of yarn and her crocheting needles. “Dipper, what's wrong?” 

In the distance he even heard his dad running up the stairs, “You ok in there, kiddo?” he yelled as he made it up the stairs.

“I, I don't know,” Dipper said to his sister as a feeling of foreboding and some pain racked his body, “Something's wrong with Wendy. She needs me!” 

“He's fine dad,” Mabel said kicking Franz under her brother's bed before her father made it to his room, “Dip's just had a bad daymare while taking a nap.”

“She needs me.”, Dipper continued to mutter for a few moments more.

**McGucket Mansion  
Ballroom laboratory**

“Alright you two, now slowly lower that plexiglass so just the one side is all that gets coated.” Candy says to Nate as they lower something that looks like a 2' by 4' clear shield into a chemical laden tray. This is the third batch of the modified chemical compound the two intellectuals had come up with loosely based on the process used to make a two way mirror. Lee was helping Fiddleford work on re-enforcing the layers of a containment box she had help him him sketch out. They all are decked out in full body overall suit, respirator, gloves, and goggles. 

“After we get done with these here fabrications, we'll go take a sit down and maybe scrounge together some vittles.” Fiddleford said as he again adjusts the light absorbing fabric that makes up the middle layer of the 6.5' by 3.5' by 3.5' box made of both a tempered steel outer layer and a 3” thick bullet proof polycarbonate glass inner layer that had a few tubes set up to allow for air and a tube that can alternately be used as a supply line for water and food. 

After another 20 minutes they've got the shields & a couple pairs of goggles under a bake lamp to cure the chemicals. They finally all decide to take a break and after they get out of the protective gear McGucket leads them down the hall to the kitchen. “Now I'm gonna tell ya'll I may have a big ol' shack here, but still live a simple life when it comes to food. I'm just gonna make me a couple of grilled cheese sanditches, but there's plenty of freezer food in the icebox and the microwave is right over there. Help yourself.

“Thanks, Mr Mcgucket,” Nate said having learned a new respect for the 'high tech redneck' as he's taken to calling him after one of his dad's favorite song while he was growing up. 

“You're not that bad of a guy,” Lee said playfully slugging Mcgucket in the arm.

**Mystery Shack 2:35 Pm  
Former wax museum room**

Tony had been sitting here in near silence since shortly after Soos had shut the door. “I've really stuck my foot in it this time haven't I, Francis?” he spoke to his brother and a small part of him still wished he would just answer him back even though he knows he may never hear him again. “I'm the one who wanted us to come back here, for her, even though we had both decided we would never let ourselves get drawn into her like our brethren. I really don't know how you had done it, how you were able to nearly completely get rid of your feelings for her. And the today I hurt and possibly alienate not only her but quite possibly the only people we could ever truly have a chance of seeing us as family.” He snaps off one of the aloe branches and squeezes the pulp into his mouth. 

**Mystery Shack  
Sales Counter**

“He's been in there for awhile,” Melody mentioned to her boyfriend, “Do we need to go in there and maybe, I dunno, talk to him?” 

“The pain he's feeling needs to be tempered, he has already lashed out at those who would be willing to help. He is used to it being just he and his brother, and now even his brother has been taken. He is gonna have to learn to trust again.” Soos replied in his near zen tone. 

“Are you sure?” her den motherly instincts having started kicking in, “I'm just gonna see if he wants a snack of some kind.” 

**Gravity Falls Public Library  
Basement**

“Thompson, you're ok. We were worried about you.” Tambry said as she brought Robbie back to stand next to her. She looked at her friend and the girl next to him. She had straight shoulder length blond hair with a cowlick, brown square rimmed glasses, and was just a little shorter than Thompson. She looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place her. 

“Sorry guys.” Thompson said as he ran his hand through his hair, “I ran into Alexa here and we got started talking video games.” 

“Ah, yeah, that's where I know you from. You work at Beeblyboop's Videogames at the Mall.” Tambry said as she finally remembered the girl.

“Yeah, I'm also in your US History class.” Alexa smirked at the look of surprise on Tambry's face. 

“Yeah, she goes to school with us. We have Computer Sciences and Home EC together.” Thompson said. “During some free time I noticed that she was reading the guidebook to Onibattle 4 and asked if she played any of it yet. We realized we had some of the same gaming interests. And we started talking games in class since then. Usually if I'm not with you guys I'm either online playing games with her or at the mall.”

“Wait a minute, wait.” Robbie said holding his hands up in front of his, “Are you saying you have a girlfriend? No way man!” 

Both Thompson and Alexa both seem to be blushing before he says, “Well we haven't went on a date yet.” 

“Uhmm, not to change the topic. But did you happen to get any of the books we asked you for?” Tambry asked as she was texting the gang the news about Thompson. 

“Oh man, I knew I forgot something.”, he replied looking downhearted. 

“Uhm, don't worry about it man. We've got it.” Robbie says as he drags Tambry towards the Arcane section. 

“See you later,” Tambry says as they leave. 

**Just outside the mystical glade**

“Wendy!” Grenda yelled as she & Pacifica ran to their friend. 

“What's going on? Wendy!” Pacifica joined in.

“Get back girls!”, Wendy yelled still doubled over. As they backed up neither could help but notice the previously sunny sky had suddenly become overcast. A gnome open the door to Gnasty's and looked out before slamming the door shut and shuttering the windows. The Fairy salon turn off it open sign and pulled down their security doors. 

_“Crimes against the order of nature and the laws of these woods have gone unpunished for too long, the land and it's people have cried out for retribution for ages,”_ A loud booming monologue fills the air, seemingly coming from the clouds that have grown even darker making it look almost as dark as midnight. _“it's time for righteousness to once again roam this land. It is time for justice to prevail, Lumber Justice!”_

A bolt of blue lightning streaks out of the sky and hits Wendy as she looks to be pulling a ghostly blue ax out of her right arm. Her skin seems to go a ghostly pale blue and all of her freckles disappear. Her eyes give off bright white glow. Her fiery red hair has turned into a mane of blue flames. Her normal green flannel shirt has turned blood red and completely unbuttoned with a black undershirt adorned with a vicious werewolf design, she is wearing black leather gloves, her normal jeans now appear to be black fringed buckskin, and her normally muddy boots have been replaced by black biker boots emblazoned with a crossed pair of silver axes. And she appears to be floating. 

_“I remember now,”_ the being formally known as Wendy Berble Corduroy says as she begins heading into the clearing passing with in inches of her two friends who are still trying to process what's going on. _“The forest has been calling me since the end of the madness. It was asking for a defender, a champion. and I was chosen.”_

Once in the glade she sees it has almost been completely destroyed. The Spring once flowing appears stagnant as it was blocked by the body of one of two Unicorns who had earlier helped out Celestabellebethabelle in their fight with her and her friends. The trees had all appeared to have been burnt to the ground. She found the Unicorn's body on the rock that Celestabellebethabelle had climbed for her rainbow posing. She didn't find Celestabellebethabelle at all within the glade. 

She felt a hint of danger near the door and yelled, _“Stop, do not attempt to enter. This land would be toxic to you if you were to enter.”_

Pacifica halted less than an inch from stepping through the doorway. 

The last body she came upon was that of the little satyr they had chloroformed the last time they were in the glade. She gathered it up along with the other two and brought them to the main clearing. With a few swings of her ax she was able to dig up a basic grave and laid them to rest.

**Outside of the stone circle**

“What in world is going on?” Pacifica is freaking out after having seen Wendy almost turn into the ghost from her mansion, but still be Wendy in a way. Then she just walked into the circle. “Grenda get some photo's of this. I'm gonna try to follow her/it in. I've dealt with something like this before.”

Grenda whipped out her phone and began taking photos of everything the sky as it was clearing, the stone circle, the doorway, Wendy?, what she could see of the Unicorn's land.

'Though that time I had Dipper helping me.' she thought as she inched towards the entrance. Just as she was about to enter she hers it/Wendy telling her it would possibly be lethal for her to do so, so she stopped.

Grenda came over next to her still taking pictures as Wendy/it used the ax to bury the bodies she had found. When she appeared done she turned and started heading towards them, they both quickly backed up with Grenda now having her phone on video mode. 

_“Grenda dear if you would please lower your phone, you need to use the chant one last time.”,_ Wendy/it spoke after she had cleared and shut the doorway. 

“Uhm, ok.” Grenda said as she lowered her phone and began the chant one final time. 

_“You two, better head back to the Shack. I'm going to see if I can find Mister White Knight and see if he can explain any of this.”,_ It/Wendy she somewhat authoritatively, before turning to them and kneeling (which considering she was floating in the air seemed interesting to say the least) and continued, _“Guys I know this may be a lot to take in, but please for now let's keep this between us. I'll explain everything I know when I meeet back up with you, at least as much I understand it myself.”_

After they both nod their heads, Wendy Floats off in the direction they had last seen the White Horseman head off in. 

After she had disappeared into the forest, Pacifica realized that something else was different about area now that the stone circle was lowered back down. “Wasn't there more trees in over there before we started this?” she asked Grenda.

“Ok. After all we have just seen you're gonna ask about some trees?” Grenda said so loud that she almost seemed to be screaming.

“Well it's just I've never seen orange trees outside of a kids book before so I was gonna take a better look at them before we left,” Pacifica said before sweeping her hands towards Gnasty's and where she had seen the trees, “but now they're gone.” 

She headed over near where she had seen the trees and saw three large four pronged impressions in the ground. She took a photo of them just to have as a keepsake. And with that they started heading back towards the Mystery Shack. 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

“You ok broseph?” Mabel asked after Dipper had stopped practically chanting She Needs Me, “You're color is starting to come back.” 

“I think so Mabel,” Dipper said bending down to pick Franz up off of the floor and putting him on the desk. “I just for awhile felt as if Wendy was screaming for me to help her. And I wasn't able to do anything. We need to get back up there.”

“I know, I'm missing them too.” She responded before receiving a text from Tambry. Dipper's phone went off also but he ignored it for the time being. “Whoa, stop the presses. Thompson has a girlfriend.” 

“Good for him.” Dipper smiled slightly, happy for his friend but still worried about Wendy. Trying to get his mind off of things he finally asked her the question that had been bugging him since last night, “Alright sis, I need to know. How did you know to ask Tony those questions last night?”

“Well I'm not sure it's my place to be saying bro-bro,” She replied, “I'll just say that someone mentioned something to me that I knew couldn't have been you, so I thought I'd check with the other yous we knew about. You know I don't like having secrets between us but the person who passed on the info asked me for one so I'm bound by honor” She finished with a serious face.

Knowing he won't be able to get it out of her with out a severe dosage of candy to bribe her he gives up on it right now. 

**Gravity Falls  
McGucket Mansion kitchen**

“I don't believe it man,” Nate said as he and Lee we're reading the texts from Tambry, “Thompson got a girlfriend before either of us!”

“Well, uhm,” Lee said sheepishly. “I've been talking to this freshman chick in my music appreciation class.” 

“Ah man, not you too?”, Nate said doubly shocked. “Am I the only one in our crew still single. No wait, Wendy is still single. Man if the coolest one of us is still single so there's still a chance. Shoot, wait a minute, didn't Tambry say something about Wendy nearly being off the market Friday after school.'

“Hey man, you'll find somebody soon.”, Lee said grabbing Nate, putting him in a headlock, and starting to noogie him. 

“If this 'bro-mance moment' is over guys, the coating should be cured enough to run some basic tests on them.”, Candy said actually acting almost like an older sibling to the guys despite being the youngest of the three. 

“Yes Ma'am!” Both guys jokingly snapped to attention and saluted her. Then all three cracked up laughing.

“Let's get back in there,” McGucket said as he walked up after the three of them stopped laughing, “I've got the prefect items to test on them.”

**Mystery Shack**

“Tony, do you want something to eat?”, Melody asked. After not hearing a reply she stuck her head into the room for a moment. He wasn't there. “Tony?” 

Melody quickly hunts down Soos, “Soos, come quick. Tony's missing.” 

**Path back to the Shack**

“What happened back there?” Pacifica says finally coming down from the endorphin high after what she had seen minutes ago. “I mean Wendy went up like the Lumberjack ghost at my family's last gala. And she had his ax, his ax?”

“I know Pacifica, I was there.” Grenda said as she led the way back to towards the Shack, “We still need to be careful. Just because we made it out there safely doesn't mean we'll have an easy trip back.”

“I know, it's just, I'm just,” Pacifica stuttered, “I was just fighting her a couple of hours ago, if it had came out then, if it's the ghost from the party, it liked me but it hates my family...” 

Grenda stopped and actually put her arm around Pacifica, “Look it didn't come out then and you said stuff that I would've put you through the floor for, I think both she and whatever it is didn't want to hurt you.” 

Crack.

“What was that?”, Pacifica wondered aloud.

Rustle.

“It came from over there,” Grenda said pointing towards the left of the path. 

**Somewhere in the woods**

_“Where are you, Horseman?”_ The ghostly Wendy bellowed as she had tracked the horses path to one of the creeks that run through the forest, _“Face me, I have many questions for you to answer.”_

“I have no time to bother with the likes of you.”, the White Horseman answered from behind her.

Whirling around she brought ax to the fore to be ready for whatever he is ready to do, _“What did you do back at the glade, the Unicorns may have been jerks but they did not deserve that.”_

“I answer not to you child,” The Horseman says still upon the back of his steed, “And I have no time to waste with you.” and with that he turns and starts to ride off again.

_“You will not get away that easily!”_ Ghostly Wendy shouted as she prepared to throw her ax.

“Wendy, help me!” She hears Dipper Further up the stream, he's standing in the middle of it being pulled down by some type of water spirits she's never seen before, neither out of Dipper's journal or during the unlife of her other half. 

With out a second thought she rushed to save him, as she got closer the water spirits threw him onto the shore to prepare to fight her. As she get's closer she calls upon the spirits of the woodlands to cause vines reach out and grab the water spirits. She then has them attempt to drain the water from the spirits. While this is happening she rushes to Dipper's aid, she knows it's not Tony as he didn't melt in the creek. She wonders how he got here, but figures she can ask him after she get's him clear. 

“Thank you Wendy, you're always there when I need you,” Dipper says as she get's ready to grab him. 

It's then she notices something's wrong, he hasn't looked up from the bank & his shoes are facing the wrong direction. He reaches out and grabs her ax out of her hand and flings it to the other bank of the creek. Before she can ask what he's doing she is backhanded as Dipper's hair turns green as he grows a beard that'd make a Manataur envious, he also grows a good two and a half feet. 

“My dear girl, you are vay out classed,” the former Dipper said with a decidedly Russian accent, “I am the Leshy of these voods. You claim to be the protector of the forest, vell I am the protector of these voods.” He then has the vines release the water spirits and they rise up to join him. “My Rusalki friends do not take kindly to being drained.”

As one the two female (she is now able to tell since they are out of the water) water spirits move towards her, she has not been idle since the Leshy had begun to speak. She had grabbed the belt off of her pants and was ready to use it as a makeshift whip. As the first gets with in reach she spins around and whips the belt across it's face, a loud sizzle escaping as it leaves a burn mark. 

_“I'm so sorry, it seems that you think I need my ax to fight,”_ Wendy says as the fire around her flares. _“my poor little nature spirits, we could have been friends. But no, you had to bring Dipper into this, that was where you screwed up.”_

She spun around again this time letting the belt wrap around on of the Rusulka's neck before she grabbed the loose end. As the other Rusulka attacked Wendy kicked her back with her long legs. She then lifted up the first Rusulka off of the ground by the belt around her neck until she appeared to lose consciousness. She swung her around and letting her fly loose into the other Rusulka. As the second was struggling to get loose Wendy ran over and planted a solid kick against her head. She then turned to the Leshy. 

_“Now, little man, I have questions for you and you will answer. Afterwards you will tell me who you are working for!”,_ She held up her empty hand only for her ax to suddenly reappear, _“And since you brought my friends into this I will only ax you once.”_

The Leshy blanched even paler.

**McGucket Mansion  
Laboratory**

“Well, hot diggity dog. So far the shields and goggles have passed the laser and heat blast tests, now the final test. I need a volunteer.” Fiddleford said.

“I guess I'll do it, what all do you need for me to do?” Nate asked as he volunteered.

“Well tell me if there is an event you wouldn't mind not being able to remember?”, Fiddleford asked as the youth got behind the shield.

“Hmm, walking in on my dad getting dressed I guess.” Nate suggested after thinking for a moment.

Fiddleford pulled out a copy of the Societies memory gun, “Now everyone else out of the room for this test please.”

While Candy and Lee left the room Fiddleford dialed in 'Walking in while dad changes clothes.'

“You ready?” He asked as Nate ducked behind the shield and then raised up his left thumb.

“Here we go.” Mcgucket said as he fired off the memory gun, only for it to bounce off harmlessly.

Nate hops up, “It works, it really works.”

“Which in conclusion should mean the goggles should work also.” Candy said as she walked back into the lab.”

“And after the strobe light was completely blacked out in the case it should be proof that it will be usable if we end up needed to capture the creature alive.” Lee said as he joined the group giving Candy and Nate a high five.

**Path back to the Mystery Shack**

“Who ever you are better be careful.” Grenda said as she picked up a fallen branch.

Not knowing exactly what to grab Pacifica pulled out the butterfly net and held it like a lacrosse stick.

The rustling got louder and just as they were ready to attack Tony bursts out of the bushes.

“Tony!”, both girls yell upon seeing him.

“Run,” he says as he runs past them also returning towards the Shack. “Wolves.”

Both girls start running after Tony. They all run the rest of the way to the Shack without stopping.

“What, what are you doing out here?” Pacifica asks between breathes as she's running.

“I felt I should be out here trying to help.” Tony replied realizing even though had started running before the girls, he's being left behind.

As they see the clearing at the edge of the Shack's property.

“We're clear.” Grenda said realizing they hadn't heard the wolves for a little bit.

“SOOS! Open up!” Grenda yelled as they got closer.

Soos opened the door and the three of them make it in closing the door behind them.

“Tony, where did you go?” Melody asked as the three of them entered the building.

Holding up one hand he's bent over trying to catch his breathe.

“I felt silly sitting in the room on my own, I decided to go try to help some.” Tony finally said after a moment.

“Uhmm, doodettes, didn't you leave with Wendy? Where is she?” Soos asked looking at everyone.

The door slammed open and from behind everyone they here, “I'm right here Soos, and I've brought someone who may have some information on where we can find the creature we're looking for.”

As they turn around they see a normal looking Wendy dragging a badly beaten pale man with leafy green hair & a shaggy green beard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well we finally get to see what's happened to Wendy. And we've gotten a few more clues as to what may be going on. I hope everyone likes the way the story is heading. This is the direction I was heading when I started before all of the character's started taking over as I was writing. ;-) There is a reason I had the Heroes in the title. The clues have been popping up here and there.
> 
> I've also started building on some of the one or two appearance characters to help fill out some of the high school cast so it's not just the same 5 teens in the school.
> 
> There will be more Dipper & Mabel in the next chapter, I just had a lot that needed to get done in GF and not a lot in Piedmont for this chapter. We get to meet their teacher in the next chapter and get a small training montage. 
> 
> 23-1-18-18-9-15-18-19 20-8-18-5-5, 2-21-20 14-15-20 14-15-18-19-5 20-8-5-25 2-5. 3-15-12-15-18-19 1-14-4 3-25-3-12-5-19 2-5 9-14 20-8-5-9-18 14-1-13-5-19, 2-21-20 9-20'19 20-85-9-18 13-9-1920-18-5-19-19 23-8-15 16-12-1-25-19 20-8-5 7-1-13-5-19!


	12. Chapter 12

** Chapter 12 **

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack**

“Wendy, what are you doing? What is that thing? Why are you bringing it thing in here, dawg?”, Soos sprouted several questions at once. He looks over at the creature brought with her, it definitely looks as if it has been in a fight. A section of it's beard has been singed off, it's covered in deep gashes (though it doesn't appear to be bleeding), and though it's arms appear to be tied behind it's back one of them is twisted in an odd angle. 

“This is a Leshy, a woodland creature that seems to be working for the guy we,” she points to Grenda & Pacifica, “saw leaving the unicorns glade, where we found, found...”

“We found the glade razed,” Pacifica said, “Show them Grenda.”

Grenda pulled out her phone and showed everybody some of the pics (making sure to leave out the Super Wendy pics). “Who ever did this is pure evil, in my opinion.” 

“We, need to get the others in on this.” Melody added. Let's get the Vid chat set up.

As the rest started heading into the Wax Figure room the song 'Disco Girl' starts playing from Wendy's phone. “Head on in guys I'll be right with you.” 

“Alright, dawg.” Soos says as he's the last in the room.

“Yo, Dip. What's up?”, she asks as she answers the call, “Whoa, slow down. Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you asking? You what?”

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

“Com'on, pick up,” Dipper said as he waited for Wendy to answer her phone. He had wanted to call her as soon as he felt the wave of panic & pain wash over him earlier, but had to wait till he was more mobile. When he first tried he got a no signal response and realized that if she was in the Unicorn glade that may be what's blocking her, so he waited till she should have had to make it back to the Shack to try again. And now he was hoping he hadn't waited too long. 

After what felt like forever, but was really only two rings, she finally she answered. Upon hearing her voice a wave of relief hit him before he started in, “Wendyareok?Ifeltanintensefeelingthatyouneededme.” she asked him to slow down so he composed himself and tried again, “Are you ok? Well about 2:40ish I was struck with an intense feeling as if you were in trouble and needed me. It was bad enough Mabel heard me and rushed to see what was wrong. Yeah, it was weird, it felt as if you was right hear asking for my help and I could do nothing.”

“Dipper, we've got a video chat request from the Shack crew.” Mabel said from the hall as she was coming to get him. “Do you hear me ,Dipping dots?” she asked as she turned the corner and saw he was on the phone. 

Dipper holds up 1 finger and then points to the phone. 

“I'll start the meeting, don't be too long. Boop.” She said as she walked up and poked his nose. She then turns and heads back down the hall to her room. 

“Yeah. Thanks,” He replied blushing, “Are you sure you're ok? Whatever happened, It felt as if I was gonna lose you and it hurt.”, Dipper replied to the question coming from the other end of the line. “Did you guys get any answers at the glade?”

**Mystery Shack  
Gift Shop**

'2:40ish, that's about when I changed. He felt my change, I wonder why', Wendy thought before she responded, “That's weird. Man, I'm fine. I hope you're doing fine. I know you'd do anything in your power man, you're my lil hero.” She blushed a little bit saying it. 

She heard Mabel in the background , it didn't take them long to get it set up. She should get in there and just do this all over the phone but she really just wanted his attention to herself for a moment, maybe it's being greedy but it's helping her settle down some as she's still processing everthing that's happened. 

“Sounds like we both better get in with the others, but I just want to talk to you for a moment. Yeah, I'm fine,” It's not a lie, but not totally the truth yet, “and don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. We still need to have our talk.” she said thinking about when they'll next see each other. “That's actually what the meeting is gonna be about. We'll fill everybody in then. Look call me later so we can talk more. Remember you mean a lot to me.” 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

“Alright, I will.” Dipper said before hearing their normal closing line. “You too!” 

He hung up the phone and after thinking for a moment went over to grab Franz deciding it may be good to have him in on the meeting. As he opened up the drawer to his desk he didn't see Franz at first then he saw an old pecil box that was still in the drawer ah been turned on it's side and modified into a make shift domicile. 

“Hey Franz, meeting time. You up?” he called into the drawer. 

“Yeah, hugeling. Give me a moment.” Franz replied from the box. He stepped out of the box putting on a flowered Malibu Henry shirt Mabel apparently had brought him from her doll collection and he already had on the matching pair of Capri pants. Dipper hid his snicker somewhat convincingly. Dipper reached in a picked him up. 

They walked down to Mabel's room where the meeting had started without them. There were three separate video chat screens going at once, Fiddleford was talking as they walked in, “We've had some success with the tests we've done on the reflective shields and goggles, though I believe the goggles will only be effective if eye to eye contact is needed. The shields seem to be better at protecting the whole body, even going so far as to being able to block the blast from the sassafrassing Memory Gun.”

“Wait, you actually risked someone loosing their memory to test out the shield?” Mabel broke in.

“It's cool, Smiledip.” Nate said laughing at the in joke while Mabel just shuddered, “The High Tech Redneck,” he said pointing to McGucket, “here asked for a volunteer, so I volunteered. It would've just been a sight I wished I could forget anyways.” 

“We've also had some possible success with the containment box,” Candy added, “it is behind us currently. As you can see there is no way for light to escape the box.” she then opened the box to reveal a mutli-hued strobe ball running inside it. 

“Nice. I couldn't even see anything coming from there till you opened it,” Tambry remarked. 

“Glad to see you could join us, shorty.” Robbie finally remarked after noticing Dipper was now with the group. Dipper just shot him a dirty look. They may have gotten over their hatred of each other, but that didn't mean they really had to like each other. Dipper noticed he wasn't the only one giving Robbie the evil eye, Wendy looks like she'd smacked him if they were in the same room. 

“Well let's hear what you guys have come up with?” Mabel interjected before things got heated, “Including any dirt on Thompson's new girlfriend.”

“Well,” Tambry started looking both towards Dipper on the one screen and then Tony on the other, “so far it looks like either we need Divine intervention of some sort, there really isn't much so far in the various mythological and religious texts that we've found. Most of the stuff is the same stuff you guys covered in our previous meeting. We've just started going through the Arcane section looking for books. We'd have had more but,”

“That's how we found out about Thompson.” Robbie added finishing Tambry's sentence. “We had sent him down to grab some books from the basement and he never came back up.” 

“We got worried,” Tambry started up again before Robbie could add a 'Whatever.', she finally finished rolling her eyes at her boyfriend, “We got worried so we rushed down to check on him, with Robbie in the lead. We had just gotten to the end of the Cookbooks when we saw him talking to some blond who looked familiar but I couldn't place her. Turns out it was the blond who works at the Beeblyboop's Videogames at the Mall.” 

At the mention of the store Dipper, Mabel, & Soos all get chills remembering the .Giffany incident. The only good part of that was Soos meeting Melody. Melody reached over and squeezed Soos's hand after seeing his expression. 

“Ok, I remember her.” Mabel finally said. “Good for Thompson. Though that gives me one less person to work my matchmaking skills on.”, she then looks at Nate & Lee on their various screens. 

“We're gonna have to check out a few more volumes cause the library is getting ready close soon,” Tambry said as Robbie disappears from screen. “Who's next?” 

“Well Broseph and I found out we're gonna be taking some self defense classes, so the next time we'll be up there we'll be all hi-ya,” Mabel said as she got into a pose like someone from one of those old 70's martial arts movies, “and take this.” 

“Actually it's just supposed to be a practical self defense course, no martial arts,” Dipper shrugged. “What did you guys come up with at the Unicorn glade?”

“Well just as we were just about there we got stopped by some weird dude dressed in all white, I mean trench, shirt, pants, everything. He told us to stop and that we wouldn't find what we were looking for there.”Wendy stated, “Before we could ask him what he meant he jumped up on a white horse and road away. We finally got to the glade and something felt off, we had Grenda do her stuff and the stone ring raised. But the door was open. I asked the girls to stay outside and keep an eye out.” Pacifica& Grenda both looked at each other at this while Wendy continued, “I found Celestebellebethebelle's two friends and the satyr we encountered last time we were there, they were dead.” 

“Wait, someone killed the Unicorns?”, Mabel blurted out, “I didn't think that was possible, I mean I thought their hair and other protections would've stopped it. They were jerks, but they didn't deserve this.” 

“I got some pictures.” Grenda said as she held up her phone showing the three bodies, “I'll send them along two everybody after the meeting.”

“I sent the girls back with the pics and I went out after the Horseman to see what he may know.” Wendy continued.

“What!” the whole group seemingly said at the same time. Well everyone but Grenda & Pacifica, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Dipper. 

“I know, I know.” Wendy said holding her hands up trying placate everyone, “We're supposed to be trying to be careful but I know the woods as good if not better than anyone else here and I wanted Grenda to protect Pacifica on the trip back. We don't need her parents trying to blame any of us if anything went south here. I ended up tracking him to a stream where I confronted him, only to be distracted by two creatures seemingly attacking Dipper. Yeah, I know I should've realized it wasn't you, but it was in the middle of the creek so I knew it wasn't Tony or one of the clones. Reflexively I went to help you, only it wasn't you. It was this guy,” She said turning the screen enough that everyone was able to see the severely beaten Leshy, “who was somehow able to take your shape, he called himself a Leshy and his two female friends he called Rusalki. He had a strong stereotypical Russian accent. The three of them tried to fight me, but hey, I'm a freaking Corduroy so they didn't stand a chance. The guy in the white got away so I brought this one here so we could question it.”

“Ok, did you say Leshy?”, Tambry asked. “I know I've read that somewhere.” she started rubbing her temple while thinking. From the movement in her background it looks like she is moving pretty fast. “I think it was in one of the books I read earlier. I'll get back with you guys later.” and her screen goes black.

“He's still out so like, we haven't been able to question him yet.” Wendy finally finished. “and we probably need to figure out a better way to hold him. Those vines are starting to die out. “ 

“Well I still have one of my prototypes thing-a-jigs that should hold him”, McGucket answered and then turned to Nate & Lee, “Either of you guys got a truck to take it over to them?” 

“We got you covered, I'm borrowed my dad's to get over here,” Lee said. “We'll get pulled up front.”

“Well it look's like everyone's been heard from.”, Mabel said. “Let's go ahead and break off here. We'll set up another chat session soon.” 

After everyone had said their goodbyes Mabel turned to Dipper and said, “Alright what's Wendy hiding?” 

“I don't know, I thought I was the only one to notice that. Though it seems that Grenda & Paz were in on it,” Dipper said, “there's something there that they're not telling 

Then both of their phones go off as they start receiving the picture texts from Grenda, Mabel could only look at the first couple of pics before she had to stop to keep from crying. 

Dipper looked through them all noticing that he didn't see Wendy in any of the photo's sent. This is something else he'll have to ask Wendy about when they talk later. 

**Mystery Shack  
Wax Museum room **

“Well this is getting really interesting,” Melody said. Feeling there was something between the three girls she turned to Soos, “Soos honey why don't we go wait on Nate & Lee. Hey Tony, why don't you come with us. You can tell us some of you and your brother's exploits.” As she leads the two of them out of the room she looks back as Wendy mouths 'Thanks'

After she's sure she hears them make it to the gift shop, she turns towards the other two girls and says, “Thanks for covering for me, I'm not sure I'm ready for the others to know yet.”

“Know what? That you're possessed by the by the evil ghost that nearly killed everyone at my family's party including Grenda, Candy, Mabel, & Dipper.” Pacifica practically yelled at Wendy.

“Look it's not my choice here,” Wendy said as she plopped her self down in the middle of the room. “It's like I said back in the glade, ever since Weirdmageddon the spirits of the forest were looking for a champion, someone to protect it in-case something like Weirdmageddon ever happened again. Apparently when the ghost from your party was defeated a small portion of his essence was left with-in his ax. Dipper brought it back to his trophy case and the spirits brought part of him back into the ax. It was looking for someone with a passion for the forest and a sense of justice to be it's 'partner'.” she added the air quotes for emphasis, “the fact I'm from a lumberjack added to my appeal.” 

“What are you gonna do?” Grenda finally asked. 

“Roll with it right now,” Wendy replied. “I'm gonna tell Dipper when I talk to him tonight. I can't keep it from him.”

“Like you could if you wanted too.” Pacifica snapped, “the boy's like a bloodhound when it come's to mysteries. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't already suspicious.” Her face softened as she realized what she was doing. “Look, I'm sorry I'm snapping, defense mechanism remember. And if having a friend be possessed by something that at one time wanted my whole family dead definitely is a reason to be defensive” 

“Well for now will you girl's keep it quiet please?”, Wendy asked

“I promise,” Grenda said.

“If you can keep it away from my family, I will.” Pacifica said.

“I'll do my best.” Wendy said. “Thanks girls.”

**Mystery Shack  
Front Porch**

“Well here comes the truck. I see Lee's blonde locks from here.” Tony commented, already bored talking about what he and Francis had done since they were 'Born'.

“I think you're right.” Soos said as he squinted at the truck coming in the distance, “You've got some good eyes there, dawg”

“I'll go let the girls know.”, Melody said as she got up and went inside. 

“You know she just wanted us to let the girls have a chance to talk, right?” Tony said to Soos after she went in. 

“You must allow them their foibles, my young friend. Otherwise,” Soos said in his Zen voice. “uhmm, well I have nothing.” 

The truck finally pulls up. Soos and Tony head up to help unload. 

“Man, I seriously thought Captain Funtimes, Wendy, & Tambry were just yanking our chains, but man other than the slight tan you could easily be Dip's twin.” Nate said as he walked over to Tony. 

“Yeah, I've heard that a lot.” Tony replied not sure how much Nate or Lee already knew. 

They grabbed the case that almost looked like a school gym locker but was remarkably heavier. They brought it on into the old wax room and laid it flat in against the wall across from Francis & Toot-toot. After punching in the code McGucket gave them they opened the door to the padded case. There was gonna be just enough room for the Leshy to lay comfortably and they've placed in some bottled water, granola, and jerky before they lifted him up and placed him inside. 

“Now McGucket said something about this running on a prototype battery that won't need recharged for a decade.” Lee said as they were closing the lid, he then gave Soos a slip of paper, “This is the combination to open it.” 

“Thanks, dawg. Well, everyone of you guys have school tomorrow so maybe you should be heading home, doods.” Soos said after everything was said and done. “Grenda, Pacifica, go ahead and hop in my truck I'll give you a ride home.”

“We've got ya, Wendy.” Nate said as they headed out to his dad's truck. “Bye all.”

**Piedmont, California 8:00 PM  
Dipper's room**

Dipper's sitting on his bed with a normal notepad in hand and his Pinetree Journal #1 off to his left. He had in the notepad a list of questions he wanted to ask Wendy about today:

1\. Why was she fired from the pool? Have to make sure this is really Wendy I'm talking to.  
2\. What happened at 2:40ish this afternoon? Still worried about what caused the panic attack earlier.  
3\. How was he able to feel her calling to him? Know it wasn't my imagination.  
4\. What was she doing while Grenda shot the pictures? She wasn't in any of them.  
5\. Is she out of her mind going after someone who may have been able to kill two Unicorns and destroy their habitat? Freaking Corduroy or not that was stupid.  
6\. What are the three of them (Wendy, Grenda, & Pacifica) hiding? Hate that she thinks she needs to hide anything from me.

'Ok, here it goes.' he thinks as he picks up the phone to dial, just as he starts to hit her contact icon it rings. When he sees it's Wendy he answers, “Hey there, I was just getting ready to call you.”

All he heard was, _“I know.”_ The thing was it wasn't over the phone he heard from.

He turned and saw something that looked like Wendy, but different. There was an ethereal beauty to what he saw but it was weird. Her hair was blue flame, her freckles were gone, & she was holding the ax from his collection. But it still was her, he could feel it. 

“Wendy?” he finally asked. 

_“Yes. I was gonna tell you over the phone, but somehow this felt the right way to do it. Heck I didn't even know I could do this, man.”_ She said as she was standing in his room, she didn't even know for certain it was his but it felt like him here. _“I'm sorry for trying to deceive you earlier, I just needed to try to figure this all out.”_

“What, what happened?” Dipper said as he got up off his bed. 

_“The day Soos & I checked the bunker out for you I was examining you trophy collection and I kept being drawn to it. After we left every time I went out to get some fresh air or to clear my head, I ended up back at the bunker area. Apparently the night I went missing...”_

**Flashback**

'Why do I keep coming here?' I thought to myself as I was getting ready to leave the bunker.

As she's finally turning to leave, deep in her mind she hears, _“Wendy Corduroy, in you veins flows the bloodline of a Lumberjack. Also I feel in you a strong will that has stood up to all forms of adversity, a deep need to protect the innocent, a deep need to protect those you love, a strong sense of justice. Ever since the demon known as Cipher attempted to destroy our world, the land has calling for a defender, a Champion.”_

“Why me?” Wendy asked, “There are plenty who fit the reasons you gave, I'm just a teen.” 

_“We have been watching since before the Cipher event happened, you have shown fearlessness beyond many 3 times your age. Even your father was fearful of Cipher, yet you and your friends faced him head on and your collection won. Personally I wanted your friend Dipper as my host, but the others knew his time in our woods was short lived. There are reasons beyond this that we have chosen you, but we will not force ourselves upon you.”_ the spectral voice conveys.

“I need to think about this, to ask Dipper for help.” Wendy said as she was processing this.

_“We don't wish to rush you, though you should know there is justice to be done. There is a friend of yours in danger currently, the one you call Thompson is in danger of being attacked simply for being in the wrong place. You must choose quickly. Will you take our offer, will you become our defender?”_ The voice says as it shows an image of Thompson waiting for someone outside of the Gravity Malls doors before he is suddenly being attacked by someone running out of the front doors.

“Thompson, watch out man!” Wendy said as she looked on, “What can I do to help him? I'm all the way out here in the woods.” 

_“The events we showed you have not happened yet, we are able to look very shortly in to the future. This is what we see if you turn us down.”_ the voice intoned.

After getting a good look at the man attacking Thompson Wendy turned from the vision and spoke,“What do you need me to do? No one is hurting any of my friends if I can help it.”

_“Just reach in and take my ax, the rest will be done.”_ The voice told her. 

As she put her hand up to the glass case the ax glided into her hand, as soon as she felt in her hand she closed her grip. Suddenly from her own mouth she heard a voice that was hers but definitely different, _“The forest has been calling me since the end of the madness. It was asking for a defender, a champion. and I was chosen. Crimes against the order of nature and the laws of these woods have gone unpunished for too long, the land and it's people have cried out for retribution for ages, it's time for righteousness to once again roam this land. It is time for justice to prevail, Lumber Justice!”_

She felt her self shift and the next thing she sees is that she was inside the Gravity Malls courtyard. She sees the guy from the vision sneaking out of the Carbon Dates Jewelry store, _“Nick Issacs, for crimes against the people of Gravity Falls, for crimes against humanity, you must face Justice!”_

He turns and sees her ghostly form and panics, he drops the bag of jewelry and starts to run only to realize his feet are literally rooted to the spot. His face begins to attempt to scream in panic as he is turned completely to wood. Releasing the roots from his feet she leaves him to be found in the morning. Be fore she leaves she sees Thompson help a young blonde into his mom's van before getting in himself and driving off. 

**Dipper's room  
Present day**

“The next thing I remember was waking up in the Shack the following morning,” the now human Wendy finishes up the story. “I didn't remember any of this until I changed earlier when I felt the threat of what ever had attacked the glade. It felt like pure evil. If I had tried to go into the glade like this,” she pointed to her current form, “I.., I wouldn't have survived.”

“I wanted to tell you earlier, but I'm still coming to terms with this myself.”, She said as she leaned in to hug him. 

“Do you remember about when you changed?”, Dipper asked as he sat there enjoying the hug before he began to hug her back. 

“We got to the glade around 2:35 ish according to the time stamps on the pics. So not that long after then.” She answered as she was getting the drift of his question, “That was the first time I changed of my own accord, I'm guessing I was trying to reach out to you for guidance. I guess to ground me, if that makes since.”

“Really, you the most level headed person I know was looking to a wreck like me to ground you,” Dipper said with a smirk.

“That sounds more like something you would do, Dipping Dots.” They both heard coming from the door where Mabel was standing. She suddenly ran into the room and jumped upon Wendy giving her a hug. “I heard most of it Wenders, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but your other voice does carry a little bit. I'm sorry you're stuck with this ghost.” 

“Well that's one less person I have to tell I guess, thanks Mabs.” Wendy hugged her back. 

“Does this mean you'll be able to visit us more often?”, Mabel said trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

“I'm not sure, I truly didn't know for certain I could do it this time, but I had to try.” Wendy said as she stood up from the twins. “It was just a mental possibility I thought I'd try after remembering the instance at the mall.” 

“Wendy, I...” Dipper said as he started to get up also. 

“Let's wait on that till we're both thinking properly, doofus.” Wendy said with a little bit of sadness in her eyes. “We don't want this to cloud our judgments in either direction, ok?” 

She turned looking around the room not really wanting to see the possible sadness in his face, “Now since I'm here why don't I try to take your little visitor off of your hands. Where are you hiding Franz at?” 

Dipper reached over to the drawer of his desk. “Franz we have a ride for you to get back home.”

“Really, how?” Franz said as he walked out of the pencil box. His eyes lit up as he saw Wendy light up as she entered her ghost form. 

_“Right here short stuff.”_ She said as she grabbed him from the drawer, _“Be careful at your practice tomorrow Dip, remember you're important to me!”_ and then she started to fade out. 

“You too!” Dipper practically yelled hoping she heard him.

_'I know.'_ he heard in his head after she was gone. 

Mabel sat with her brother for a good while as they both thought about what happened to their friend. 

****Piedmont, California Monday October 22, 2012 10:30 AM  
Outside a warehouse on the out skirts of the town** **

“Ok, dad, why are we here?” Mabel asked after he dad had parked the car. She and Dipper really had no idea why their dad had came home from work early for lunch. 

“Well, I did tell you that you were gonna start training today. I was able to reach my buddy earlier and he told me since you guys were home to go ahead and bring you on over.” Adam Pines said as he was getting out of the car. “His training facility is just over there. “Pointing to a build with the letters OSW above the door. 

“He runs a dojo out of a warehouse?” Dipper asked incredulously, “How many other students are we gonna be training with?” 

“None to begin with. He's actually taking you two on to repay a favor he owed me.” The twins looked at each other wondering what that was about. 

He led them to the door and knocked. It was opened by a guy nearly six feet tall wearing a cowboy hat, a tank top with 'Do not start with me, you will not win!' emblazoned on it, jeans, and cowboy boots. While no where near as big as Manly Dan, Dipper really was almost as fearful of this guy as him. He reached out and pulled Adam into a big bear-hug as his face lit up with a big smile. 

“Adam, you old son of a,” realizing the twins were there he caught himself, “gun. How ya doing? I haven't seen you in nearly 10 years.” 

He turned to the twins, “Man. Mabel, Marlon, you two sure have grown. Last time I remember seeing you two, you tried to hide in my gym bag. You two cried for awhile I heard, after I told you I had to leave to go back to work back then.” 

“We know you?” Dipper said with a questioning look. 

Mabel was putting 2 + 2 together out of what he was saying. Scrunching her face together thinking deeply she asked? “Unka Cowboy?” 

“Well, yeah that's what you used to call me back then. I haven't heard it in forever.”, the big cowboy said with a smirk. “Let me reintroduce my self, the names William Hauser, but professionally I'm known as...” 

“Wildbill Anderson, the pro-wrestler?” Dipper shouted. “I knew I'd seen you somewhere before, you were in 'Kung Fu Mummy From Pluto'. Man the cheesy 90's Japanese martial arts movies had some bad titles.” 

“Yep, that's me. And they sure did.” Wildbill said with a chuckle as he looked down on his two students. “But apparently your dad forgot to tell you your godfather was gonna be the one to teaching you. Step inside.” 

“Godfather? What's he talking about, Dad?”, Dipper asked as he and Mabel both looked back and forth between the two adults. 

“Yeah kids, I've know this knuckle head since we were in JR High back in Indiana, we were inseparable through high school till we took different paths I went to college out here for computers and he found a training school up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We stayed in touch as I got through school, met your mom, got a job here, got a better job in my field, got married, and all that. He trained, traveled the country working, worked in Mexico, the Caribbean, he was working his third extended tour of Japan when you two were born and flew here that night to see the two of you.” 

“So let's see you guys are in JR High now yourselves, right? One of you smart and the other I bet usually is the defender of the other? And dealing with bullies?” Wildbill asked watching their heads nod in response to his questions, “Man that sounds familiar.” 

“Let me guess, dad was the nerd and you defended him?”, Mabel asked. 

“Nope, other way around. I was a big comic book geek and got picked on because of it, he was running back on the school football team. During second week of 7th grade he saw two guys push me down and rip up my comic I was reading. He came over and chased them off, we've been friends ever since.”, he continued. 

“And how?”, Dipper asked. 

“Well freshman year I got into amateur wrestling and a cute technology teacher got him interested in computers. Man he had such a crush on her, too bad she was 20 years too old for him and married.” he chuckled as he saw how uncomfortable he made his friend. “But enough about that, you two are here to learn and I can embarrass your dad anytime.” 

Dipper looked around for the first time since being in the gym, there were the normal weight equipment you'd expect in a gym. But there was also two full scale wrestling/boxing rings, a couple of punching bags, three or four tumble mats, and a couple of racks of kendo swords in one corner. 

“Well first I'll want to see what I'm working with here, besides what I've seen in the two videos." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I built up the story, explained a little bit of what's going on with Wendy, finished up the weekend, told what happened to the crook at the mall, and introduced my only real OC that might have any real reach on the storyline. I built up the twin's father's back story a little. I didn't get the planned training montage in (mainly due to self imposed time restraints), but we now know who the teacher is. The planned phone call between Mabel and Pacifica also didn't make the cut this chapter but definitely will be in the next chapter. Darn characters taking over. ;-) 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 14-5-5-4 1 14-1-13-5 6-15-18 23-5-14-4-25, 1-14-25 9-4-5-1-19?


	13. Chapter 13

** Chapter 13 **

**Piedmont, California October 21, 2012 7:30 PM  
Mabel's room**

“Alright Paz, spill it? What happened that you gals didn't want Dipper knowing about?” Mabel asked as soon as Pacifica answered her phone, friends or not you don't hold back anything that could hurt her brother, “It's driving Dip crazy, he's worried that someone may have been hurt or even that Wendy may be taking extra risks since we're not there to be on the front lines.”

She sat down at her craft table/vanity listening to Pacifica try to explain the events of the day before she had to stop her, “Wait Wendy said what to you? What caused that?” Pacifica said some more, “Oh, so she's still sore at you over your attitude from earlier in the summer, well me and Dip did sorta become extended family to her and Soos.”

Pacifica went on some more with Mabel picking up her scratch pad and started doodling before stopping Pacifica again, “Paz are you crazy, saying that to Wendy? How are you're still alive?” listening to some more as she doodled as Paz paused she asked, “You didn't have anything to do with that article did you?”

**Gravity Falls  
Northwest Manor  
Pacifica's room**

Pacifica was flipping through an old sketch book looking over some clothes designs she had practiced drawing to kill time in one of her classes last year when her phone went off, seeing it was Mabel she answered it before the second ring, “Hey Mabs,” but Mabel had almost tore right into her as soon as she answered. Hearing that she was worried about Dipper and not knowing what all Wendy had told him when they had talked earlier and if they had talked yet tonight like Wendy had said she was going to do, Pacifica decided to just go with the first fight, “Well when I got to the Shack earlier, I tried to make some small talk and be friendly. But Wendy would have nothing to do with it, asking why she should be friends with someone who had made you and Dipper's summer hell.”

“I guess I can understand, but unfortunately I slipped into 'attacking is the best defense' mode from when I still thought everyone was beneath me and I said she had led Dipper on all summer just to break his heart over their age difference.” She listened as Mabel responded, “Well we did have a good staredown. I had slipped back into Queen of Mean mode without meaning to. She again brought up the way I had treated you all, especially Dipper, until I had needed him, only to turn my back on everyone at the party because of dad's dang bell. She then made it sound like I forced Toby to write his column in his paper that made it seem like Dipper & I were an item.”

Pacifica started to set out an outfit for school tomorrow they were still talking “No, it was all daddy. Trying to put a good spin on the story, evening going so far as to use that picture to show our 'good will'. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance with Dipper as long as Wendy was around so I didn't even try. I told her I knew he was into her when I first met the two of you. He spent half of the night of the dance contest trying to be as close to her as he could. I even,” Pacifica started to break down at this point remembering how much of a witch she had been earlier, “I even went so far as to blame her for everything that happened to Tony & Francis.” she let out a big sob, something she would've never done before meeting the twins and how much they had helped her grow as a person in such short time. “I didn't mean it one bit, I was apologizing almost as soon as it came out of my mouth.” She was fully crying now.

**Piedmont, California  
Mabel's room**

'Well it looks like broseph was right, Paz may have had a start of a thing for him back then. Wendy may have had a reason to possibly been jealous.' Her doodle was starting to take shape as a guy on horseback, she heard what Paz had just said as she started crying, “You didn't really mean it did you? Not the way you're reacting now.”

“That's great, I figured you didn't, but you had said you had been in 'Queen of Mean' mode so I had to hear you say it. No Paz, you're not a bad person. Like all of us, you are a work in progress and we all need to constantly work on ourselves to be better.” Mabel said as she wished she could be there to just hold her friend in her time in need. “Did she accept your apology?”

“He What?” Mabel said as she slammed her hand down on the table top nearly breaking the pencil in her hand in half. “That's my Grenda, once she accepted you and Wendy as friends I knew she would watch your backs. Yeah, She's even stronger than she looks.”

**Gravity Falls  
Northwest Manor  
Pacifica's room**

Still crying Pacifica said into her phone, “No, I didn't. I was at her side in less than a moment hugging her and apologizing. Man, I'm such a b.. bad person.” she caught herself from saying what she was thinking and g-rated it for her friend who doesn't like the harsher language, “Thanks Mabel I needed to hear that. I think she may have but she didn't get a chance, Tony came in at that time and agreed with what I had said.” she hated herself for the way she must have made Wendy feel, but if she had had a gun at that moment Tony would've joined his destroyed brethren. “Before we even knew what was going on Grenda had grabbed Tony and pinned him up against the doorway.”

She has starting to feel a little bit better hearing Mabel praised her other friend, 'Maybe one day I'll do something that will be worthy of hearing her praising me that way. I still have a ways to go though.' 

“Soos couldn't even get her to let him go, finally Wendy softly asked her to let him go and even seemingly blaming herself for what happened to the two of them. She actually looked nearly dead then. I looked into her eyes and I didn't see a bit of the fire that's normally there. She had looked into his eyes and it was gone. I took a glance ta him myself and all I saw was almost pure disgust. It had sapped her will.” she shuddered again at the memory. “After Grenda released his she muttered something I couldn't hear and left. Wendy followed suit soon after so Tony could be alone with his brother. I grabbed our supplies, headed on out with my own parting words to him, and hunted Wendy down to apologize again. We had a lil heart to heart and patched up before we headed out to check on the glade.” 

She took a moment to compose herself and looked at what she had laid out, It was an odd miss match of clothes that she realized she would have rather had the potato sack back before she would ever worn the combination in public. She finally opted for a pair of jeans and pink and purple faux tie dyed shirt she got after the twins had left to remind herself that she was melding the old her with a new better one thanks to Mabel.. and well Dipper too. “As for what happened there we reported that earlier. 

“Pacifica, are you getting ready for school tomorrow?” Priscilla Northwest asked from the hall as she passed heading towards the study and the bar the family keep there. 

“I'm gonna have to get going, Mabs. The warden's calling.” Pacifica chuckled a little bit at her semi ironic joke. “We'll talk again sometime this week. Ok?”

**Piedmont, California  
Mabel's room**

'Man, it must have hurt Wendy so much. I mean here is a guy that nearly looks and sounds like Dipper saying that and looking at her like that.' Mabel though before continuing to talk to her friend. “I'm glad the two of you were able to patch things up. Hopefully things stay good between the two of you.” 

Mabel is hearing what appears to be Wendy down the hall, maybe he has his phone on speaker as he's talking to her. “Yeah, I need to be going to getting going soon, too. I'm not sure what to wear for the training tomorrow so I better hunt for something to wear now so I'm not wearing something that could be too ill fitting. Yeah we will.”

After Paz hung up she better go tell Dipper he may want to turn down the volume on his speaker if he's gonna be using it. As she get's closer she realized that wasn't a speaker voice, somehow Wendy was here and in Dipper's room. She came to the door just as Wendy began talking about what had happened in the Bunker the other night. She then realized while she was standing there Wendy had changed, she looked more like Wendy and not the Ghost Wendy she first saw. 

“Really, you the most level headed person I know was looking to a wreck like me to ground you,” she heard Dipper say with a small smirk on his face.

“That sounds more like something you would do, Dipping Dots.” Mabel said joining in on the conversation she had happened upon before running to Wendy and giving her a big hug. 

**Piedmont, California October 22, 2012 11:15 AM  
OSW Training Gym**

The twins had changed into the tank tops and shorts they had brought to work out in, when they had got back from the changing rooms they saw their dad had left. Wildbill was standing over at one of the punching bags so they walked on over to him. 

“Alright you two, now that your dad had to get back to work, we're gonna get started. I've seen what Marlon can do, but from what your dad has been telling me you're the one who normally does the protecting.” Wildbill said looking at Mabel almost laughing at the kitten in weight lifting gear with the hairball dumbbells on her tank top. 

“Well normally I rely on my natural charm to do the trick. If that doesn't work I give them some of this and this,” she had started off with a cheerful smile and ended with two straight punches to the bag that barely moved it. 

“Not bad for the weighted bag,” he smiled down at Mabel before turning to Dipper, “your turn, Marlon.”

Dipper's face scrunched up a little as he stepped up and looked at the bag. He stared for a moment and did the math in his head before punching, the bag swung out almost an inch off it's center. 

“Nice punch, but you're taking to long to do the math in you head. If this had been a real attack you or your sister could have been badly hurt before you had that figured out. You need to learn to just do it and let your body do the math for you.”, Wildbill said as he just hauled off and punched the bag hard enough it nearly knocked the twins over.

“Now that I've got a lil bit of an idea, I want to test some of your other attributes, first a warm up. On the first mat there I want two rounds of 10 toe touching bends, 10 squats, 10 push ups, and 10 jumping jacks. After that it will be 10 minutes on the treadmill.” Wildbill said as he led the twins to an acrobatics mat.

He stood back and watched his godchildren, surprisingly even though Marlon had real skinny arms they were almost all muscle. He just needed to push them some and he'd gain some good definition, Mabel on the other hand seemed more likely to be built better for agility based fighting. Well we'll see as we go along, better to train them similarly at first and branch off down the line. The twins were now two minutes into the run on the lowest level, he walked over and bumped up the speed a couple of notches. 

“You two need to get your endurance up, for those times it will be better to run than to fight. Yeah, I know this is a Self Defense Course, but there are plenty of times that the best defense is to not be there in the first place. We're gonna work on some natural muscle building and endurance. Also I'll be teaching you basic blocking and defense to start out. Once you're done here I want you to to come over to me and we'll continue.” Wildbill walked back over to his office and came back out with two protein/electrolyte waters. He walked over to the bench by the mat and waited. 

Dipper was starting to tire out by the 7th minute of the run and looked over at his sister who was also starting to tired out at this speed, “We need to do this Mabel, we have to endure. Push yourself. Imagine someone has Waddles.”

“I'm guessing you're saving Wendy.” Mabel said as her pace picked back up. She noticed him speed up as she said that. When the last 3 minutes were up they both nearly hobbled over to Wildbill. 

“Alright you two drink up,” he said handing them each a water. He laughed at the faces they made as they took the first drink. “Yeah, nobody really likes the taste of that stuff but it supplies some of the stuff you need to replenish after the run. Well now that you're warmed up we're gonna start here.” 

He stood up and got in the middle of the mat spread his feet shoulder length apart and bent over his knees were bent and his shoulders were over his knees. He then tucked his head with his chin against his chest and crossed his arms over his chest also. “Now the first thing I'm gonna to teach you is how to fall. It's not funny.” He said as Mabel snickered. “If your gonna fight, eventually you're gonna fall. Best to know how to do it so it causes the least damage and allows you the chance to get back on your feet quicker.”

“Now you start in this position, start to lean back as you throw your feet forward, make sure you keep your head tucked, then throw your arms out as you are about to hit, and always try to land flat on your back. That way you protect your neck and your head. Now I know you'll never be in this type of position in really life but once you get used to fallin' like this your body will naturally get into the habit of fallin' on the flat of your back.” And at that he fell backwards as described and rapidly got back up, turned, and dropped again. He continued another three times before he stopped and turned back to the twins. “Now your turn. Marlon, you first.” 

“It's Dipper if you don't mind.” Dipper told his godfather as he got into position and attempted the drop. Unfortunately he didn't get his head tucked enough and smacked it as he landed, “Argh.” 

“You ok, Mar...” Wildbill asked as he bent down to check on him, “I mean, Dipper?” 

“Other than a sore head and wounded pride, yeah I'm fine.” Dipper said as he rubbed the back of his head. 

“Ok, then back up and try it again.” Wildbill said as he got back up and out of the way.

Dipper got up and with out thinking about it he just did it, this time landing properly before hoping back up and hitting it another 4 times. He then walked over to Mabel and playfully tagged her in. “Your turn.”

And that was how the rest of the training went, every time something new was taught one would go through it and mess up the first time only to correct themselves before tagging out to their sibling. They cycled through several exercises before coming back to the falling. 

“One more round of falling and then you're gonna go through a reverse version of your warm up to finish off.” Wildbill said as he handed them each a plain bottle of water. “Gotta stay hydrated.” 

They were just finishing up when a few others started to enter the building, the twins both thought they recognized a couple of the High School football players and a couple of guys they saw on the posters around the walls. 

“Antonio,” Wildbill called one of the guys over, “you've got the shop tonight, run everyone thru the full gauntlet. Jacob still needs to work on his slams and Patrick needs to work on running the ropes, he still is hitting them to high and nearly flipping over unintentionally. I've got to take my god kids home and I told their dad I'd feed them tonight before I drop them off. We all missed lunch thanks to training.” 

“Ah, so these are the lil troublemakers you're specially training.” Antonio said looking over Dipper & Mabel. “Hey, this guy looks familiar.” he said looking at Dipper. “I know you're the guy in the bully take down videos. Good work there man, I hate bullys.” he slapped Dipper on the shoulder and nearly knocked him down in the process. 

“Ouch, thanks.” Dipper said after the compliment and slap. 

He and Mabel went into the respective locker rooms and changed before they met their godfather and headed out. Thinking they would be getting in a truck they were surprised to see he was driving a classic 60's Station Wagon. They hopped into the back seat and belted in as he got in and started the car. “I hope you guy like pancakes. I figured some carbs would be good for you after your first session.”

**Dipper's room 8:00 PM**

“Yeah, it's weird.” Dipper was saying as he talked to Wendy over their computers. “I never thought I'd be able to say I knew someone in of those movies we watched during our movie nights.” 

“So your teacher, who is also your godfather, is a former pro wrestler? That's crazy.” Wendy said joking and holding her hands above her head signaling that it blew her mind. “how did your training go?” 

“Man it was crazy, I'm gonna be so sore tomorrow. It was like a weeks worth of gym class squeezed into 2 1/2 hours. We did squats, jumping jacks, 10 minutes on the treadmill, learning a safe way to fall, weight ball catching, proper straight arm punching against a weight bag, something he called basic tripping, a slow motion punch and block session, another round of them all, and finishing off with more time on the treadmill and more squats. And to top it all off he wants us to start jogging every day for a half hour after school, says it'll build our endurance.” He said jokingly shuddering. “He took us to Pancake Den after training because we all forgot to eat lunch before hand, their not as good as Lazy Susan's but it was filling. We stopped at a Books Half Off in the same shopping center and I picked up a couple of more movies; It Came From The Cupboard, Duckman, Immoral Departed, Shocky Horror Treatment Show, Them Lives!, and Kung Fu Mummy From Pluto that he signed for me.” He held up the new dvd's to show her. 

“Looks good, man. Thanks for helping me on that calc homework. Math is so not my strong point when it comes to school. You could make a killing up here as a tutor.” Wendy said as she started to look deep in thought, “Look, I'm sorry I didn't let you say what you wanted to last night. I just wanted to make sure neither of us said anything just because of what I'm going through. If we say it, I want it to be because it's real. I don't want to, well you know.” 

“Yeah, I understand. But don't worry. When I do it'll be because I mean it.” They were both blushing now and Dipper thought he'd better change the subject before he said it at the wrong time, “So what ever happened to the wooden guy from the other night?”

Realizing what he was doing she went along with it, “Well after I dropped Franz off, I stopped at the Police station and checked to see if they had taken him. They had him in the evidence lock up, so I made some noise and as they came down the hall I reversed the transformation. They took him straight to a cell and locked him up. I heard a rumor today that he's not looking forward to going back in, one of the house he robbed was the Gleeful's and Gideon's friends on the inside are upset that he went after him.”

“Oh man, I do not envy him at all. Half of those guys still thinks the sun rises only because Gideon is alive.” Dipper added thinking about the guys Gideon had with him during Weirdmageddon. 

“I may try to sneak down to see you over the weekend, you can show me some of the moves your godfather is teaching you. It'll depend on how things are going here though.” Wendy said as she appeared to be getting up from the computer for a moment. 

“Sounds good, but don't over strain yourself. You're still getting used to this, I don't want you to get hurt.” Dipper said as she moved out of view. “Did anybody try talking to your new friend yet?”

Wendy was still off screen, Dipper thought he heard some rustling but he wasn't sure. Finally Wendy responded, “Not yet, according to the video monitoring McGuket had set up in the box he's barely moved but some of the crackers had been eaten and the jerky bag was opened. I'm gonna stop by the Shack tomorrow to try and question it.” she said as she came back in view. She had changed into a tank top and what Dipper thought were pajama bottoms. She had hung his hat on the corner post of her bed as she sat down.

“And just when I thought you couldn't get cuter,” Dipper actually whispered under his breath.

“What did you say?” Wendy asked teasing him.

“Uhm, nothing.” Dipper's face had went bright red at being caught again.

“Sure, Dip.” She smiled knowing him too well. “I'm gonna have to get going, I still have a chapter to read for English Lit class tomorrow. You have a good night.”

“You have a good day too, ok. Remember your important to me.” Dipper said adding their little message at the end.

“You too, doofus.” Wendy smiled as she shut down her computer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well another chapter is in the books. We got the missing Mabcifica conversation that was to be in last chapter, I went through a good portion of the training montage (We will see more of the training as the story moves forward), I started with the basics as we weren't gonna see them suddenly being able to do slow motion spin kicks their first day (I hope this didn't turn anybody off), built a little bit of a bond between the teacher and the students, and another heart to heart between Wendip. 
> 
> Some of the training came from my own actual experience, I was training to become a wrestler before I began to have seizures and had that dream shot down. We went though most of what was described here at the beginning every training session, the only difference is we didn't have the treadmill so we circled the gym on our runs. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 20-8-15-21-7-8 1 20-23-9-14 9 2-5, 14-15-20 6-18-15-13 20-8-5 16-9-14-5-19 20-18-5-5. 4-1-14-7-5-18 14-15-23 19-20-1-12-11-19 13-5 1-14-4 19-20-15-14-5 9 13-1-25 19-15-15-14 2-5!


	14. Chapter 14

** Chapter 14 **

**Gravity Falls Friday October 26th, 2012 7:35 AM  
Corner of Birch River Way  & Nathaniel St**

“Eddy, Erin, Have a good day at school. Don't forget you're to go to Pop-pop's after school till I get off work.” A woman says as she let's the apparent twins off at their bus stop on her way into work. 

“Alright mom, it'll be no problem.”, Little Eddy said.

“Yeah, we love Pop-pop.”, Erin piped in

Had they lived nearly anywhere else in the US, she would have felt bad about leaving her children, or been worried about them waiting for the bus alone even though it is due any minute. But this is Gravity Falls and the worse they have around here is that former con artist Gideon Gleeful. 

“Eddy, School is gonna be so fun today.” the bubbly Erin said as she waited for the bus. “And then we get to see Pop-pop.”

“I know Erin, I'm loving fourth grade. And we have Halloween coming up. Are we gonna treat or trick together. I know you got to go with your friends for Summerween, cause I was sick. But his time we can go together.” Eddy said as he pulled his jacket tighter, “Did you hear something, sis?”

“Eddy, I think I see a birdy in the bush over there,” Erin said as pointed towards a bush at the other end of the house they were waiting at. “Let's go see, it may be hurt.” 

“Ok, but the bus is coming soon. So we have to make it quick.” the freckle faced little brunette said as he followed his sister to check and see if the birdy was hurt. 

As they neared the bush they heard a sound similar to the pecking of the chickens they had seen at the petting zoo over the summer. Eddy reached out his hand to move the bush's branches when they heard, _“Sleep now children.”_

As they slumped to the ground little Erin thought she saw an angel watching over them.

_“I know you are in there you foul creature. I may not be able to stop all of your attacks, but these innocent children will not be your graveled breakfast his day.”,_ With a swipe, Wendy cut down the bush as it burned with the fire surrounding the head of the ax. In the ashes she found the yellow tip of a reptile-like tail. Feeling the creature had pulled another vanishing act she powered down, and just in time as she saw the bus pull up to the corner to turn this way shortly afterward. She was still standing over the kids as the bus pulled up.

“Why Wendy Corduroy, I haven't seen you in nearly four years. What are you doing out this way?”, the bus driver said as she opened the door.

“Oh, I was out for a jog before school when I came across these two sleepy heads. I figured somebody should stay with them till the bus got here.”, Wendy said as she had bent over to pick up the kids the gang had started calling shmipper and smabel over the summer as they joke that they looked like small copies of Dipper & Mabel. 

She carried the two of them up on to the bus for the driver, “Poor kids probably got up too early. Here you two go.” she said as she set them down on on of the seats together, she then turned and headed back towards the front of the bus, “So tuckered out. Well Miss Danvers, I better get a move on or I'm gonna be late to school myself. Have a good one.” As she got off the bus she whispered, “Wakey, wakey” while she kept her forearm covered as it tried to glow. 

As she headed to the high school she pulled the tail tip out of her pocket and snapped a picture to send to Dipper and the rest of the group. 

**Piedmont, California 3:30 PM  
Just off of the campus of Nancy Reagan Middle School**

“Well it's good thing the teachers let us stay after to make up some of the work we missed during our suspension.”, Dipper said as he  & Mabel walked home, it was another exercise their godfather had suggested. The normally quiet walk was almost interrupted by some idiot on a red motorcycle who ran a red light and nearly hit them. They were about three blocks away from the school when three figures stepped out from an alley way.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here boys?” Jimmy said as he looked over the twins. “A pair of pine cones that need to be thrown away before they sprout any more rubbish.” 

Jimmy grabbed Dipper and half pushed half threw him into the alley and Lumps and Tyson each grabbed on of Mabel's arms while she was distracted. “What's a matter Dipstick, not such a big man when no one is around to video tape it.” he said as he walked over to where Dipper was seemingly slow in getting up. 

As he went to pie face Dipper back into the ground Dipper swiftly grabbed his wrist and fell backwards pulling on his arm as he put his foot into Jimmy's gut. While not that graceful he did manage to flip Jimmy over him and was on his feet before Jimmy had realized what had happened.

“Dipper, behind you,” Mabel yelled as Tyson released her and ran towards Dipper. Using her nearly freed left arm she grabbed Lumps head and jerked it down as she raised left knee into whatever part of Lumps was closest, though she was aiming for his jaw. 

Dipper had turned just fast enough to side step the incoming punch from Tyson, as he did he slid his closest leg in Tyson's path Tripping him up enough he ran right in the rising Jimmy. Mabel rushed over and got back to back with her brother making sure neither of them could be sneaked up on. Both twins arms went into the defensive posture they had been practicing at the gym. Jimmy and Tyson both started getting back up so Dipper made two click's with his tongue as a non verbal warning to Mabel. He barely saw her head nod in his peripheral vision. He was glad they had decided to go to the gym after school the rest of the week instead of just the two days this week. They were in no way great fighters, but they were remarkably better than they were even a week ago. 

“So the geek thinks he's some kind of special because he had two fights that he won by cheapshots.” Jimmy said as he and Tyson started to move in closer.

Dipper stepped forward and spoke, “We really don't need to be doing this. We can all forget about it all and leave before someone get's hurt.” Feeling Mabel move two steps forward and to her left he realized Lumps was probably up also. 

“So after we have them surrounded he wants us to leave him alone.” Tyson muttered still dusting one leg of his jeans off as he moved forward. 

“Well because of them we're all off of the football team, in the middle of the season no less. I'm really not feeling to generous right now.” Lumps was saying as he moved in closer to Mabel. He then saw a big grin grow on her face, “Whatcha smiling at girlie?” 

“Oh not much, just some friends,” Mabel said pointing over his shoulder.

Lumps felt two big hands grab each shoulder and pull him backwards. “Now little man, 3 on 2 is no-where near a fair fight.” he hears as he is turned around and sees two guys recognizes from the high school team he was hoping to play for next year. Realizing he may be in trouble Lumps pretty much just gives up the fight.

The other football player who hadn't spoke asked, “You need any help over there, you two?” 

“Not now that you made it more of a fair fight, we'd rather finish this now than let it draw out. Win or lose don't interfere please.” Dipper replied not even sparing a glance to register who the voice belonged to. Mabel had already turned her body to join with her brother. 

“Last chance, Jimmy?” she asked hoping he would go ahead and stand down. Unfortunately he rushed forward again trying to tackle Dipper. Tyson tried to be more forthcoming and just swung at her. She blocked the way they had been training to do and put the full force of her punch straight to his abdomen which was pretty easy as he was almost a full head taller than her. Once he was doubled over she brought both of her hands down across his back. 

Looking over she saw Dipper had went ahead and taken the full brunt of the tackle and a hard punch to the face. As Jimmy had started to raise himself up so he could punch Dipper again, Dipper cupped both of his hands and brought them together over Jimmy's ears popping them. He then slid out from under Jimmy and got behind him in order to put him in a choke hold, “Are you done yet Jimmy? Are you done?” 

Seeing Jimmy start to drop Mabel ran over and pulled Dipper off of him. She turns to Lumps and says, “Tell Jimmy to leave us alone. We didn't start this, but if I hadn't just pulled Dipper off of Jimmy I do believe he would've finished it. Get Tyson and the two of you need to get him out of here.” 

Realizing she meant what she said, Lumps helped Tyson up and together they woke Jimmy up enough to get him out of the alley. 

“Thanks for showing up when you did guys,” Mabel said as she helped Dipper get to his own feet. She really got a chance to see which of Wildbill's students had came across them, it was Patrick and Jacob. They had been two of the guys their godfather had asked to help with their blocking and punching. Patrick was a smaller and quicker Hispanic guy and was usually paired with Mabel as he was able to keep up with her better as she was speeding up. Jacob's family was from one of the Polynesian islands, she can never remember which set it was. He's a bit bulkier and seems to have been picked to keep up with and push Dipper on the power he was trying to put into his punches. Also his easy going attitude seemed to calm Dipper down as he's been getting flustered with not being able to get up to Gravity Falls to help out his friends. It was Jacob who actually taught Dipper the monkey flip he used on Jimmy near the beginning of the fight. 

“No problem Mabel. But whatever happened to using the first rule Teach taught you guys, you know run?” Patrick asked now that everything was over.

“We didn't get the chance, they came out of the alley and the big guy grabbed Dipper while the other two grabbed me.” Mabel answered

“What made you guys stop, not that I'm complaining mind you?” Dipper said as he was finally getting his voice back after the tackle had knocked out a good portion of his air out and the punch to his face didn't help any.

“Well we saw Mabel's back pack out on the sidewalk, it's hard to miss. Who else has a hand crocheted Shooting Star rainbow back pack?”Jacob asked with one of his normal big grins on his face. “And when we didn't see either of you around it we pulled over to check it out.” 

“Man your face looks a little bit jacked,” Patrick commented before asking, “You sure you don't want us to drive you home, amigo?”

“Nah, I'll be fine. Besides, Wildbill wants us to walk home every school day as part of our training.” Dipper said as he winced while trying to smile. He then walked gingerly over to his backpack and slid it on. Reaching into his side pocket he pulled out his phone and saw he had a couple of messages, the last one had just happened and was from Wendy. 

'You ok, man? Got a weird feeling a few moments ago. Lmk.' she had texted.

'I'm good. Little sore, but good. I'll let you know more when we talk later.' he responded

“Whoa, who's the hot redhead?” Jacob asked looking over Dipper's shoulder.

“She's Dipper's girlfriend. It's her hat he's usually wearing when we get to class.” Mabel responded before Dipper had a chance. 

“You're kidding me right,” Jacob said with yet another jovial smile that could probably have charmed Pacifica's mom into dancing a jig with Fiddleford. 

“Well we haven't made anything official yet, cause there's a few issues we both want to work out first.” Dipper said actually surprising himself even as he spoke.

“From the way you're blushing man, it's gotta be just those issues. As good looking as she is and knowing what I do of you she probably isn't some superficial airhead, so what are the issues if you don't mind sharing lil hermano?”, Patrick asked still looking at the coming bruise on Dipper's face.

“Well first one is distance, she lives in a small town up in Oregon where we spent last summer,” Dipper motioned at Mabel and himself, “secondly she's my best friend and neither of us want to ruin that, and finally she's 2 1/2 or so years older than me. We're actually working on all three I think.” 

Dipper started to try to walk and only made it a few steps before he stopped and grabbed the wall beside him with his free hand. Jacob was already beside him and with Mabel they got him over to Patrick's car. 

“We'll tell Teach we gave you a day of from the walking. And if he saw you he'd do it too. Heck he may have taken you to the hospital man.”, Jacob said as he got Dipper into the back seat. 

“Nah, no need for a hospital. Just the adrenaline wearing off. I'll be fine.” Dipper said as Mabel got in on the other side of the seat. 

“If you say so,” Patrick said as he got behind the wheel. He looked at Jacob and said, “Call coach and let him know we'll be there but we had to take care of a friend who got hurt first.”

“On it.” Jacob pulled out his phone, turned, snapped a pic of Dipper, and then dialed their coach. “Hey, Coach Phelps, it's Jacob Moko. Patrick Diaz and I are gonna be their for the pregame practice but we need to run a couple of friends home. Yeah, we were on our way when we found three jerks jumping them so we pulled one away and let them have a fair fight. The pic I'm sending is of one of our friends, who once it became a fair fight won. We're just gonna drop them off with their parents and then we'll be heading to the practice. Alright, thanks coach.”

“Well?”, Patrick asked.

“Well, once he saw the pic, he was glad we were helping him out.”, Jacob said with a glance that Patrick saw that, said the coach thought that Dipper should go to the hospital. 

Mabel watched them and caught the glance, but knew her brother would just brush it off if they asked him again, so she changed the subject for him, “Well Wendy, Dipper's girlfriend, was one of the two that had taught us to fight as good as we had been doing before coming to Wildbill's classes. Her and our Grunkle Stan.” 

“Yeah. She's a lumberjack's daughter and can kick some serious tail. She once nearly broke a biker's arm because he was causing trouble with us.”, Dipper said modifying the story just a little cause most people don't know about Weirdmageddon. 

“Alright we're here, “Patrick said as he turned into their driveway, “Let me kill the engine and we'll help you get inside.”

The guys got out of the car and between them they almost carried Dipper inside while Mabel carried the twins backpacks. While the guys took Dipper into the living room and sat him down in the recliner, Mabel went in and got an icepack from the kitchen. 

“Thanks guys, I got my bro-bro from here. Dad should be home soon.” She said as she brought the icepack to Dipper's face. Once he took hold of it she spun quickly around and slapped a golden star sticker on each of their training partners that said 'I'm An Allstar!' on it. As she walked the guys to the door she got a copy of the picture from Jacob. No one noticed the red motorcycle parked catercorner from the pines house. 

About fifteen minutes after the guys had pulled away from the Pines home, Adam Pines was pulling into the driveway. As he walked in Mabel called him into the living room where he saw Dipper.

“What in the world happened this time?” He asked as he was taking in Dipper's face, his ripped shirt, and the slightly bruised knuckles on both twins hands. 

“Jimmy and his two cronies tried to jump us again.” Dipper said

“But thanks to the stuff Unka Cowboy has been teaching us we fought them off. Biff, Bow.” Mabel said swinging wildly. “They tried to use their numbers to their advantage, but bro-cles here monkey flipped Jimmy and as Tyson let me go to try get Dipper, I kneed Lumps somewhere in that lump he calls his stomach.” she continued to tell the story, with only minor embellishments, as Mr. pines got the first aid kit and checked on Dipper's face. 

Once she was done her father had her go up and get Dipper a new shirt. She went ahead and grabbed the logger's hat while she was up there hoping it would somehow help him feel better. As she got back down stairs she heard a sharp intake of breath, followed by a stifled moan of pain. When she got back to Dipper she saw what had caused it, his right side where Jimmy had tackled was an angry red and already starting to bruise. She hadn't even thought about Jimmy having been a nose tackle on the football team and Dipper had taken a full shot from him without any of the padding that keep the players safe.

“Dip you didn't tell me that you were hurt there, you dummy. I only thought it was your face, if I had known this I would have let you finish choking Jimmy out.” Mabel said as she looked at her brother in pain with tears in her eyes. 

**Gravity Falls 4:00 PM  
** Mystery Shack  
Former Wax Museum 

“Alright, we've been at this for a week now. Are you gonna tell me what we're after yet,” Wendy sat backwards on a chair while looking at the prisoner as he was allowed to sit up while the door was opened to his box. “It nearly got two kids today, KIDS!” she yelled as she slammed her fist down oh the back of the chair. 

“I only know that the creature vas released to cause you to double think yourselves. To make you question why you are doing vhat you are doing, vhen you cannot even protect the ones you love.” The Leshy taunted her seeing she was already upset over something. He started to shift form into Dipper, then thought better of it remembering what had happened last time. 

“What are you talking about, my family best not be in any danger!”, Wendy said kicking the chair away as she stood up.

“Oh, no. Manly Dan, Rudy, Lucas, and Seth are in no direct danger. But you have many others you love. You'll find out soon enough.” the Leshy before it scooted itself down to lay flat in the box. “I am through talking right nov.”

She was just about to grab him and pull him out of the iron coffin when Soos burst through the door, “Wendy, you need to check your messages. I know you don't want to be bothered while you're talking to this...” he waved his hand sort of signaling he was trying to figure out what to classify the Leshy as, before continuing. “I'll lock him in for you.”

She walked out into the hall, something had still been bugging her since she had that weird feeling earlier. She opened up her phone and looked at the listed of messages. There were three from Mabel.she opened up the earliest one first. 'Hey Wen-wen, got your message, glad you saved shmipper and smabble. Good work on getting the pic of the creatures tail. Having the pic should help Dippingsauce figure out what we're looking for if he ever get's his nose out of his make up work. Tyl.' She then went to the second. 'Better be quick about snatching him up Wenders, he turned down two more cuties today. Hopefully cya soon.' She smiled a little at that one before opening the final one. It was long and it had two pics included. 'Got jumped by the three jerks today on way home. Cronies held me while Jimmy threw Dipper around. Dipper was able to flip him and one of the cronies went to help. Dipper tripped him into Jimmy while I dealt with the other one. Two friends came and held off third to make it a fair fight. We won, but as you see Dipper took the brunt of the damage on our end. :-/'

She slammed her hand into the wall, 'Dang it, I knew something was wrong. He probably told me he was fine to keep me from worrying. That stubborn fool. Thinking of me before worrying about himself. 

'Exactly how bad is it? His face looks like it got messed up.' Wendy texted back.

'Well by my count that's 12 girls he's turned down since we got back to school. Oh wait you mean the post fight break down, jaw bruised not broken, no lost teeth, and while the ribs are gonna be sore as far as dad can tell no breaks.' was the reply Mabel sent back

'lmk when you get him up to his room, I will be there asap.' Wendy finished the text and headed back into the room to find Soos down on the floor.

“Soos,” Wendy said as she ran over. As she got to him she saw his feet were backwards. 

Almost at the same instance the Leshy jumped at her. He grabbed her and slapped her away before attempting to ran and jump out the window. No sooner did he hit the window than a flash went over the room and several glyphs and iconography glowed for an instant before fading out. It felt like he had just ran into an iron wall. 

_“You shouldn't have done that. For crimes against the woodlands, and crimes against my friends, I demand justice.”_ Wendy said as she stood over the Leshy. _“But first you will tell me what you know.”_

**Inside the monster cell**

“Dood, this is not cool.” Soos says as he tries to get comfortable. “Ooh, crackers.”

**Former Wax Museum**

“You really think ve are only dealing vith you here.” the battered Leshy was saying. “The boss has people everyvhere.” 

_“What?”,_ Wendy asked, _“I'm tired of you trying to dance around my questions. Now tell me what is it that's attacking my forest and those under my care. Then you will tell me who you are working for.”_ Her flames gathering even closer to the wooden body of the Leshy. 

“The creature you seek was brought over from the old world, by the one who runs it all.” the Leshy says as it backs away from Wendy's flames, it suddenly felt it's back hit the table in the room and felt a small splash of water against his back. “As for vho the boss is, I've never met them only the Vhite Knight.” He grabs the pitcher and threw the water in Wendy's face.

_“NO!”,_ Wendy screamed as her fire went out and she seemingly dissolved through the floor. 

Seeing this the Leshy ran to the door, through the hall, and out the front door. He was free and he had beaten the lumberjack ghost. He ran as fast as he could in to the woods and freedom. 

**Back in the Former Wax Museum**

“Well did he fall for it?”, Pacifica asked as she walked into the room. 

_“Hook, Line, and, Sinker.”,_ Wendy said as she rose back up through the floor.

“You'd get the tracker on him.” Pacifica asked as Wendy powered down. “Ok, still not used to that.”

“Yeah, it's on him. You'd think this guy had never seen any classic escape movie.” Wendy laughed, “And he thought a pitcher of water would defeat me, like I'm a wicked witch.” She was almost doubled over before she remembered she had to get Soos out of the box. 

“Ah, man. I was just getting comfortable in there, dawg.”, Soos said with a laugh. “Did he take the bait?”

“Yeah, man. I let him think he knocked me out and he ran like a scared rabbit.” Wendy laughed though she didn't like stretching the truth to Soos. 

“Good. Now how about those texts.” Soos said. “It sounded like Dipper was having some real trouble down there.” 

“They got jumped again on the way home. 3 on 2. They won, but Dipper being his normal selfless doof intentionally took most damage upon himself. Bruised jaw and ribs.” She said as she showed them the pics. 

“That's not cool at all, dawg.” Soos said

“Man, those guys better be happy I can't get down there. I'd sue them so bad for what they did to Mabel and Dipper.” Pacifica said reverting to one of her old threats. 

“Yeah, they better be glad I can't get down there...”, Wendy said as she remembered her promise to visit Dipper later.

**Piedmont, California 5:30 PM  
Pines Family Living Room**

Dipper was still seated in the recliner holding the 4th icepack to his face when he heard the doorbell ring and Mabel sing out, “I got it.” After hearing the door open he heard a resounding, “Unka Cowboy.” 

She lead their godfather into the living room as he was saying, “...just got the chance to leave. Antonio took the call and said he'd disown me if I didn't get over here, he'd watch the shop.” He stopped short as he saw Dipper, “Man what hit you, a mack truck?”

“A former offensive tackle.”, Dipper said with a mild chuckle even though it hurt he tried to hide it, “Don't worry though, we won.” 

“He was gonna take two of them on himself, the dummy.”, Mabel said as she sat on the arm of the recliner and gave him a light hug.

“They jumped us before we had a chance, I just wanted to make sure they didn't hurt Mabel.”, Dipper said with a shrug. 

“Well, let me get a good look at you.” Wildbill said as he knelt near his godson. “Ok, looks like your dad did a good job wrapping you. I'm not feeling anything broken. I'd say you were lucky though. Get any video of this fight, so you can study it to see what you may have done wrong?”

“Nope, sorry. The jerkijerks didn't give time to set it up.”,Mabel said with a smirk, “But you'd be proud, Dipper got off a good Monkey flip in the fight, and a choke hold that if I hadn't had him break, the guy would've passed completely out.” 

“Glad your here, Will. How'd you find out though?” Adam Pines said as he came into the living room and saw his old friend. 

“Two of my students called and told me,” Wildbill told his friend, “Still good with the bandaging I see. I brought some liniment that'll help with the soreness. For the next time you wrap him. Right now I suggest he gets up and into bed.” He then turns back to Dipper and Mabel. “Though if your mom says you need to go to the hospital, you go. There's no practice this weekend, but still want to see you Monday for class, ok.”

Both his godfather and father help Dipper get up and even though he protests that he can do it on his own, they help him up the stairs. Once they get him upstairs Wildbill looks around the room and sees one of the pictures of Wendy that Dipper had in his room. “So this is the lil lumberjill the boys were talking about.”

“Yeah, one of my best friends. She's the one who gave me the trapper's hat.” Dipper said as he tried to find a comfortable position. 

“Well she has good taste in friends then.” Wildbill said with a smirk, “Well it's been long enough that if there were any concussion symptoms we'd have seen them by now. You should be able to get some sleep if you want.” 

He and Adam left the twins there as they went down to talk about old times. Once they were out of earshot, Mabel snuck out to make sure they were gone before she told Dipper, “Ok, I don't know how many of your texts you read, The creature tried to attack shipper and smabbel this morning. Wendy felt something was wrong and was able to make the save. She got a bit of it's tail and sent pic of it. The tail I mean. She also wanted me to tell her when it's safe cause she wants to check on you.”

“Tell her once Will's gone. I'm really wondering what we're doing here Mabel, we need to be up there helping those we care about.” Dipper said hugging the trapper's cap for all it's worth. “Down here all we're doing is killing time. It feels wasted.” 

“I know broseph, at least we're going up for Thanksgiving,” Mabel said brushing his shoulder, “And our Grunkles are gonna be there.” 

**Piedmont, California 7:30 PM  
Nancy Reagan Middle School Football field**

While the team is at an away game there are three figure standing near the bleachers talking to a someone in the shadows.

“You have done good so far, do not worry about your parents reactions. Once this is over you will be able to go where ever you wish and start a new life with all the glory you are due,” The figure says while sitting sideways on the red motorcycle in the shadows. “My master will grant you whatever you want after you have finished destroying the Pines twins both physically and emotionally.” 

Jimmy, Tyson, and Lumps all look at him with mild bemusement. When this had started Jimmy all had hoped to get out of this was a date with Mabel, but now it had become personal. He wanted to beat the tar out of Dipper and hoped to get him alone next time.

“Now take these drinks as a recompense of your current troubles and I believe everything will go your way.” the person in the shadows reaches out and the three each take a drink from his red gloved hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is another long chapter. Working on getting the twins back to Gravity Falls, the issues with the bullies have come to a head but may not have boiled completely over yet. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 23-8-1-20 23-1-19 20-8-5 12-5-19-8-25 20-1-12-11-9-13-7 1-2-15-21-20, 23-8-15 9-19 23-1-203-8-9-14-7 20-8-5 20-23-9-14-19?


	15. Chapter 15

** Chapter 15 **

**Gravity Falls 7:30 PM  
** Mystery Shack  
Former Wax Museum room 

“Alright Candy, have you been keeping up on the movement of the tracker. We want to have a good idea where to start looking tomorrow once we have all of the supplies here and ready.” Wendy said, still trying to figure out how she had become the de facto leader of their motley crew since the twins and the Stan's aren't here. 

“Yes, and I have the program set to run all night to keep track of his movements. By tomorrow we should have a complete analysis of his movements and be able to find out if he is able to help us find the creature. I have also been in touch with Fiddleford, he will have a better analysis of the tail by the morning.” Candy said as she was sitting at the computer. “He has also said he, Nate, and Lee will be bringing the gear tomorrow, plus something else in case we need it.” 

“Well, that all sounds good. For now I'd say let's have everybody go home and get some rest. Tomorrow we go hunting.”, Wendy says as she get's up and looks around at the group that was already gathered; Grenda, Candy, Pacifica, Soos, & Melody. The rest will be here tomorrow. Just then her text message goes off, she looks down and it's from Mabel. “Soos can you run the girls, home. Dad knows I'm staying the night here, I'm gonna go get some roof time for a bit.” 

“Alright,” Soos says in his normal jovial manner before turning to the girls, “Ok lil ladies, who's house first?”

“Well we've both told our mom we're staying at Candy's house, so...”, Grenda said not finishing the statement. 

“Ok, let's go.” Soos said leading them out the door.

Pacifica pausing to look at Wendy seeing if she could read the look on Wendy's normally passive face. As far as she knew just her, Wendy, and Soos were the only ones here to have seen the pics of Dipper and since then she was worried for all of her new friends. 

**Roof top relaxation spot**

Wendy opened up the text as soon as she got to the lawn chair:

'Sorry, it took so long. Unka Cowboy told Dip to lay down for a bit after making sure he didn't have any concussion symptoms. Bro-bro just woke up. So anytime is good. Hugs.'

Once she saw the truck pull through the treeline Wendy grabbed her right forearm and pulled out the ax. 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

“Well this pic definitely helps out a lot, the coloring is wrong for both the Rock Boa and the Cockatrice. I believe they're gonna be hunting a Basilisk.”, Dipper said as he looked at the picture that he'd transferred to his phone. Sitting up was a little painful but he wasn't gonna let that get in his way. If he can't be up there to help hunt the creature he would do everything in his power to help from here no matter how much it hurt. 

“I'll text Tambry to see if she has found out anything towards the remedy yet?”, Mabel said as she stood in the doorway partially to watch out for any parents coming up stairs. 

“What's worrying me some is it's getting bolder,” Dipper continued, “trying to attack the twins in broad daylight. Luckily...”

_“Luckily, I was there to save them.”_ Wendy finished his statement as she appeared in his room. _“Dag, man. You looked better after the car crash.”_

“Well this time I didn't have a seat belt to help protect me.” Dipper said with a smirk that hurt just a little.

_“You big doofus.”_ Wendy said as rushed over and hugged him, not thinking about either his ribs or the fact that she was still powered up. 

“Oof, I'm glad to see you too,” Dipper said “But careful, I'm still damaged goods here.”

_“Oh, Sorry.”_ Wendy said standing back up. 

“No problem,” Dipper said rubbing his injured side before realizing it wasn't hurting as bad as before. “I'm guessing the lineament that my godfather gave me is working.”

“Uhm, Dip we haven't changed your wrappings yet.” Mabel commented from the doorway, “We haven't put any of the lineament on you yet.”

“What?” Dipper said. “I thought you put some on before I laid down?” 

“Didn't get the chance, you went all morose about not being able to help out in Gravity Falls and as I was went to grab the stuff you went to NightNight Land.”, Mabel said sticking her head in, “Uhm, Dippingsauce. The bruise on your face is going away some, too.” 

Wendy turned to take a better look at his face. The bruise has shrunk to almost 2/3rds it's previous size. _“What the?”_

She powered down and went to get a better look. It appeared as if he had just healed instantly. “Ok, what just happened.”

“No idea,” Dipper said trying to figure it out himself.

“Well now that I'm here, how are doing?” Wendy asked looking down at her boy. She sat down in the chair at his desk and then scooted it next to his bed. 

“Well, I've been better.” Dipper smiled just having her here made him feel better, then realizing it's only for a short time his mood began to sour some. “I won't feel 100 percent till I'm back up there with you guys. I, no,” he pointed over to include Mabel, “we should be up there helping you guys fight this creature.” 

“Right now you should be worrying about the fighting you're doing down here. I mean, I know you two are learning how to defend yourself better down here. But man, I can't stand to see you like this. Mabel is over there with some bruised knuckles, and you.” she said waiving towards his jaw and ribs. She looked down expecting to see his knuckles looking like Mabel's, but they looked almost baby soft. “You did throw some punches, right?”

“I think so, I know I nearly cracked a knuckle when he threw me down the alley.” Dipper said as he too looked at his finger's and realized the scratches he had earlier were gone. “Ok, this is weird.”

“Man, I also heard you intentionally took a tackle from a guy who regularly does it against armored idiots for fun. You have to learn to fight smarter, I know you are smarter than this.”, Wendy said looking a little mad at him.

“I was thinking, I figured it would get Jimmy down to his knees if nothing else and I would be able to do something to prevent him from getting close to Mabel.” Dipper said as he looked down at hands instead of at either of the girls that he felt staring at him. 

“Broseph, you know I can take care of myself,” Mabel said a little mad that he still thought he had to protect her.

“I know, but I've seen the way he looks at you and it still creeps me out even more than Gideon. Why do you think I've been his favorite target. I've been keeping him bothering you since second grade.” Dipper responded in an octave just barely above a whisper. He raised his voice to a normal tone and continued “I remember how much he weirded you out back then and it really hasn't ever changed, you didn't even like him once he went all jock and had half of the girls at school after him. He was still after you though, so I was still an obstacle in his mind. Believe me I heard it enough.” 

“You mean I was the reason he keep bugging you. Why didn't you tell me?” Mabel said confused. 

“And give you another reason to not smile, not on my watch sister.”, Dipper smiled at his sister as she realized how much he'd done for her that she never knew. 

“Man, you've been watching out for each other forever probably. It's what siblings do, you should've seen what Rudy, Lucas, and Seth did to Robbie after we broke up, you know when he wouldn't leave me alone.” She laughed a little bit at the memory of seeing Robbie hanging up side down from the High School's flagpole in a cheerleader's outfit, though she thinks that may have been the push that sent him into the grave they found him in before he and Tambry hooked up. 

“But seriously man, you need to think about it. What if he had caused you to hit your head or knocked you out somehow, you wouldn't have been of any use to yourself or Mabel. You know I don't like fighting. But when you have to do it, you do it right. Never let yourself get taken down, at least not with out a plan before it even happens. You'll probably hear something similar from your teacher, but it's always best to be on your feet as much as possible.” Wendy said “And remember if you're not doing it for yourself or your sister, you're doing it for me.” She gave him a wink. 

“Ok, time to change the subject,” Mabel said from the doorway, “Tell Wendy what you've figured out from the pic she sent.”

“Ok.” Dipper said shooting Mabel a look, “With the research I've done and add in the tail pic, I'm pretty sure you're dealing with a Basilisk. The coloring helped narrow it down. I'm thinking that what McGucket and Candy made, from what they said about the tests, should be able to help to catch it.”

“Ok, that sounds good. Right now I'm thinking I'm gonna take Grenda, Tony, Nate, and Lee out with me. I'll probably have Robbie, Soos, Thompson, and McGucket stay back with the trap till we feel we need it. Tambry, Melody, Candy, and Pacifica are gonna be at the Shack as Tech support and the last line of attack. McGucket said He's bringing something he put together in case they needed it.” 

“Still would rather be there to help. I feel so useless down here while everyone is trying so hard up there.” Dipper said as he again thought about how much he missed his friends. 

“We'll try to set it up so you can at least be on the video contact. And remember with out your research we wouldn't have been able to figure any of this out. We wish you were gonna be there too.” Wendy said as she reached over and hugged Dipper again

“Also someone, no names mentioned, Mabel” Wendy said half covering the last with a bad fake cough, “has told me you've turned down a dozen girls since you went back to school Wednesday, are they liking the new badboy Dipper?” 

Dipper shot Mabel a halfhearted dirty look, “Actually it's closer to sixteen, but they're just after me due to the fame. I'd rather wait for someone who I know likes me for me.” he then shot a wink back to Wendy. 

“I better be going, Soos should be back from taking the girl's to Candy's.” Wendy said as she got up and grabbed her forearm. _“I haven't told him or Melody yet. So...”_

Mabel ran over and hugged her, “See you soon, Wenders.” As she backed away, she looked at her knuckles and saw they hadn't changed, 'Well there goes that idea.'

Wendy turned from her hug to see Dipper had gotten out of bed and came over to give her a hug of his own. _“Man, are you sure you want to be up, you're still banged up.”_

“Yeah, but I had to say good bye.” Dipper said as Wendy returned the hug. “You're the one to possibly be in danger tomorrow, so be careful you're important to me.”

_“You too.”,_ She said as she faded away. 

After she was gone Mabel looked at Dipper, “Dips, you facial bruise is almost gone.” 

**Mystery Shack  
Roof top relaxation spot**

Wendy was feeling a little weird as she reappeared on the roof, the last time she had done this trip she was wiped out. But she felt sore this time. Her side hurt a bit and her cheek felt sore also. 

“W-w-wendy, is that, that you?” she heard Melody say behind her. Reflexively she powered down as she turned around and wished she hadn't, she was even more sore after she had dropped her ghostly form. She dropped down to her knees.

“Wendy,” Melody yelled as she rushed over to help her red headed friend. “What was that? What happened to you? You look like you've been in a fight.” 

“I'm fine, I haven't been fighting. Not sure why I'm hurt. As for what that was, it's me.” Wendy said through clenched teeth. “Let's get me down stairs. I'll explain everything once Soos get's back.”

After gingerly going down the ladder Melody helped Wendy get into the chair in the living room. Wendy's text tone went off shortly after she sat down. It was from Mabel; 'Wendy, I'm thinking you may have somehow healed Dip. His face is barely bruised and I can poke his ribs without them hurting. Not sure how though cause you didn't heal me.” 

As she was getting ready to reply Soos came in as Melody was bringing in an icepack for Wendy. She sat her phone down on the table next to the chair as Soos asked, “Whoa Wends, What happened?”

“Thanks Mel.” Wendy said as she held the icepack to her face for a few moments. Once the pain had died down some and she felt her energy seem to replenish she started to fill them in on everything that has happened. As she was finishing she stood up and grabbed her right forearm and withdrew her ax. _“I didn't mean for you to find out this way. I wanted to tell you on my own terms. But apparently I used too much of my spectral powers traveling to check on Dipper and apparently taking some of his damage into myself.”_

Her cell received another text alert. Melody motioned as if asking Wendy if she wanted her to see who it was and not know for certain yet if her phone was ghost proof, she nodded yes. “It's from Mabel. Want me to open it?” 

_“Yeah, I'm not sure if I'd melt it while I'm like this or not.”_ Wendy said, not wanting to change back as she is starting to feel better and better the longer she was in this form. 

“It's two pics of Dipper, the first is of a slight bruise on his cheek and the other shows him having slightly bruised ribs. You know from what I remember of Soos's description it's gone down significantly. And it looks like it was about where you were hurt, you may have healed him.” Melody said trying to wrap her head around everything that's happened in the last twenty minutes or so.

“So, Wends. Where does Dip's hat go when you change? It's not on your head?” Soos asked, already accepting all that was explained to him and trusting Wendy and the twins. 

_“You know, I have no idea.”_ Wendy realized. She felt along her waist and felt her normal hatchet and it had a cloth casing. Lifting up the back of her shirt, she went to lift it up and realized it had some how turned into some type special case that was white with the blue pinetree in the center of the head holster. _“Well it's here apparently. It merges with my normal hatchet holster.”_

Feeling much better she put the holster back on her belt and decided to power down. Both Melody and Soos watched in awe. And once she was finished she reached up on her head and the hat was back in place. Getting her phone back from Melody she replied to Mabel; 'Well got caught, Melody and Soos are up to date. Apparently it was a subconscious action, I didn't even realize I had done it. Though I paid for it. Powered down too soon and was sore where his injuries were. Tell your parents it was the lineament that did the work. Hugs.'

“Alright this night has gone on longer than I had planned, I'm gonna go crash. Sorry for all the worry.” Wendy said as she hugged both Soos and Melody. “We have a long day tomorrow.” 

She then headed up stairs and laid down on Dipper's old bed. 

**Gravity Falls Saturday October 27th, 2012 11:30 AM  
** Mystery Shack  
Attic bedroom 

Wendy sat up with out remembering this wasn't her bedroom and wrapped her head on the slanted ceiling. Her phone was going off so she answered it, “Hello?'

She got up and grabbed the clothes she had brought with her when she came to 'work' yesterday. She put on the black jeans and the long sleeved camouflage shirt, topping off the whole look with Dipper's hat. “I didn't know I was doing it, dork. All I know is I was upset at seeing you so hurt, that apparently I drew some of you injuries into me. I'm so resilient in that form I didn't even realize it till I got back and the strain of the traveling hadn't allowed me to heal. All I could figure out.” 

She bent down and tied her boots on tighter than she normally would do. “No, I wasn't intentionally trying to get myself hurt. Remember this didn't come with an instruction book.” 

Grabbed her hatchet and tucked it into belt. The last thing she grabbed was her crossbow and quiver. “I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. Last minute hunting jitters. Do me a favor, stay at home today. No point in trying to attract any danger today. Ok, you too.” she finished off the conversation before heading downstairs. 

“Well there's the sleepy head,” Nate said when he saw her, then realizing she was armed, he added with a smirk. “Just joking.”

Both Nate and Lee were dressed in camouflage pants and dark colored shirts covered with paintball padding, Tony had on a black sweatshirt and bluejeans, and even Grenda had traded in her normal pink shirts for a gray sweater and sweatpants. McGucket & Candy were handing out the goggles to everyone, even those staying at the Shack. They then went on handing shields to Nate, Lee, Tony, and Grenda, Wendy just waved it off. “Save one back in case you guys need it. I wanna be able to use one of these if it's needed,” she said motioning to the crossbow and hatchet. 

“Well I reckon those'll do for ya,” McGucket said before walking over to a case sitting on top of the prototype cell. “For the rest of you I've worked up a couple of thing-a-majigs.” Reaching in he pulled out three pistol looking object and a something that looked like a mace. He handed it to Grenda, “Candy told me that you prefer to be up close and personal. For you guys these are taser pistols with enough energy for seven shots and here two spare batteries each if needed.” 

“Tambry, have we got a position on the Leshy?” Wendy asked as she walked over to her friend.

“Yeah. It's been fairly stationary since I got here. Probably resting.” Tambry replied “Be careful out there, I don't want to be the one who has to tell Dipper something went wrong.” 

“I know. Thanks. How's the research for the cure coming?”, Wendy said with a wane look on her face. 

“So far it's not, I'm wondering if we'll have to kill it to cancel it's effect.” Tambry said with a sad smile as she looked over at Tony as he was saying goodbye to the statue that is his brother. 

Wendy saw McGucket talking to Candy and Pacifica off in one corner as everyone was saying goodbye wishing each other well.

Loaded up the headed outside where Wendy saw a Humvee waiting on them. “Had to get some way ta be able to carry all this around.” McGucket said, “Soos you get on in and drive. We'll head to the closest glade we can reach in this big boy and then you'll have to hoof it. We'll keep in contact over these two way radio buds. He said handing one each to the hunting party and the transport group. “Do you hear us Tambry? Candy?” he said after tapping the bud. 

“Base hear's you loud and clear. Once you get to the next clearing you have approximately and hour's walk.” Candy said over the radio system. 

“Patching in Piedmont crew. PC, you are a go.” Tambry added.

“Remember guys, as far as we know the vision attack is it's main attack, but most of that is based on classical mythology. This creature's biology is still not readily documented so be prepared for anything.” Dipper said as a response to being patched in. 

“Be careful guys,” Mabel added for good measure, “Break a leg.”

“Melody here, Candy asked for me to cover for her for a couple of moments while she helps Pacifica with something.

**Gravity Falls Forrest 1:45 PM**

“You guys should be almost upon him, his signal is just over the next ridge.” Melody said watching the overlay of the topographical map and the positioning map that is tracking the movement of the hunting party and the Leshy. Candy was still helping Pacifica with whatever she was doing. 

“Hold up guys,” Wendy said in a loud whisper. “he's just over there. He's looking over the stream at the bottom of the hill. Get your goggles down and have your shield ready.” As she aaid this she cocked her crossbow and loaded a bolt.

She motioned for Nate and Lee to take a trail around so they can cover them from two directions. She was glad she and her friends used to do paintball a lot, the experience looks like it may pay off. 

“In place,” she heard the barely audible whisper over the ear bud. 

“On three,” she held up her three fingers and slowly counted them down. “go.”

Grenda, Tony and Wendy rushed towards the Leshy from his left, while Nate and Lee came in from the right. 

“We got you,” Tony said as he fired his taser straight into the now stone chest of the Leshy. “Wait, he's been petrified.” 

“And the tracker is laying flat in the palm of his hand.” Lee pointed out.

“Bravo, my young detectives.” said a man the Wendy instantly recognizes. 

It was the White Horseman, and he was petting some sort of yellow bird, it had the head and legs of a rooster, the tail of a snake, the body of a bird and was yellow in color. It seemed to be growing back the part of the tail that Wendy had chopped off. The weirdest part is that the Basilisk and the White Horseman have made eye contact more that once and nothing seemed to happen to him. 

“I guess it was an ok plan to follow him to attempt to find my little pet, but I knew it was a set up as soon as he told me how he escaped.” the Horseman said as he set his pet down. 

“He was expendable, a good lesson for anyone who dares to fail my mistress.” he continued as he brushed a stray feather off of his jacket. “Basil, it looks like you'll have a fine feast tonight.” 

Basil the basilisk ran towards the group. Nate lifted up his taser and fired barely peeking out from behind his shield. The taser line hit the ground just as the basilisk leap up and tried to go for Tony, only to be batted away by Grenda slamming her mace into it's gut. 

Meanwhile Wendy fired her first bolt at the White Horseman, thinking she had a good shot only for it to hit the shoulder of his jacket with a resounding 'CLANG' almost as if it was made of metal. Reaching under his coat, he pulled out a three foot long sword and ran towards her. She blocked his first swipe at her with the stock of the crossbow and she kicked out at him causing him to jump back. While he was dodging Wendy pulled her hatchet out of her belt and dropped the crossbow. 

At his next swing she parried him with the head of the hatchet and then saw a taser wire hit him to no effect. He turned his head to see who dared to attack him, “Ah, so you brought the paper golem with you, very well. Ladies if you would please.” It appeared as if the two Rusalkii she had fought with the Leshy had survived their battle or he's gotten more. 

They made as if they were going straight towards Tony, till one of them took a mace to the gut. “I've got your back Tony, let's get this done so we can figure out how to get your brother back!” that was enough to shake Tony out of his shock and he raised his taser and hit the other firing off two shots in rapid series. 

Nate and Lee were having their hands full with the basilisk, everytime they thought they had it, it would jump away and the try to again attack them. One attack it jumped up and attempted to scratch Nate in the face only Lee to slam his shield across it's body throwing it a good ten feet giving them a chance to regroup. 

“So what happened my little ginger, why do you still attempt to attack? All you have been able to do is to parry and defend yourself from my blows. Where is the spitfire I saw the last time we met?” the White Horseman said goading her. 

And she hated to admit it, he was right. She would not be able to do much if all she can do is parry. “Nate, Lee, sorry you had to find out this way.” Jumping back in order to give her time she grabbed her right forearm and with a scream of rage pulled out her other ax and transformed. Now armed with both the ax and her hatchet she was able to block with one and at least attempt to fight back with the other. 

Tony pulled hard on the taser wires and pulled the Rusulka jerked forward off balance. Grenda was defending off blows with her shield and swing at the other Rusulka with her mace causing it to dance back towards the stream. 

“What happened to Wendy,” Nate said distracted long enough for the Basilisk to land a scratch across his chest ripping through his padding and shirt. “Argh.”

“Nate,” Lee yelled surprising the basilisk enough that he caught it with a shot from his taser. 

The Rusulka Tony had hit recovered enough to pull out the taser wires and dodge the next shot. She jumped over him and with a mighty shove pushed him towards the stream. “NO!” he yelled

_“Tony!”_ Seeing this happen and knowing the consequences if he hits the water, Wendy reacted to save him. Just before he hits she reaches out and turns him to wood. 'Hopefully I will be able to reverse it.' she thinks. While distracted the Horseman swings and hits a glancing blow across her back. 

“So now you even attack your allies? How long until even they begin to fear you?” the Horseman asks and then he let's loose with a loud whistle. She spins and attempts to slice him across the chest only for him to knock away the blow. The next thing she noticed is his horse galloping into the clearing and he reached up and pulled himself up on it. “Farewell, till we meet again.”

Wendy rolled forward and grabbed up the crossbow. She rapid loaded a bolt and fired as he rode away. This time it lit with a bolt of blue fire as it hit. 

Grenda had beaten down the two Rusulkii and was now trying to get Tony back on to the higher ground, Nate and Lee were almost playing a game of ping pong hitting the basilisk in between their two shields. In a moment of anger Wendy turns her power against the basilisk turning it to wood.

Still in shock at what happened Nate and Lee rushed over and helped Grenda with Tony. The wooden statue was soaked so she couldn't even try to reverse him currently. 

“Wendy, what is the situation?” she heard over the radio. Apparently her ear bud still works. She tapped it and responded. “The Leshy was stone when we got here. There's been a fight though. We have three wounded,” 

“Uhm, Wendy. You don't appear to be hurt anymore.” Grenda said coming up behind her.

“Uhhm, make that two injured and we've got the basilisk. We'll need help getting out though. And guys there's gonna be something I need to talk to everyone about when we get back.” Wendy said as she powered down. She didn't think she had taken a head shot but the was some sort of high pitch whine ringing in her ear. Putting her hatchet back in the back of her belt, she tapped the bud again. “We'll need some help getting Tony back to the Shack.”

“Uhm, that bad?” Tambry asked as she realized what was said. “Help should be almost to your location now.” 

Realizing the whine wasn't just in her ear Wendy looked up to see some kind of robot looking thing heading right for them. As it landed Wendy noticed it had the word CHARGE written down one leg. 

“Well it took so long to get this thing on I got here too late for the fight. Like, I really wanted to test this thing out,” the robot said before the it raised the front of what looked like an old knights helmet…

**Piedmont, California 4:25 PM  
Pines family home**

Adam Pines was sitting down to watch Indianapolis take on San Diego in the afternoon game when he heard a knock on the front door. Grumbling a little bit but knowing the kids were upstairs he went to answer it. Keeping the chain on he opened it enough to see a gentleman standing at the door.

“Yes can I help you?”Adam asked the man at the door. 

“Why yes Mr. Pines, my name is Sol Rouse and I'm a reporter with the Piedmont Star.” He said pulling out a set of press credentials, “And we're doing a series of stories on anti bullying and I have recently came across the videos of your children standing up to a trio of bullys that is quite popular among the circuit of Anti Bullying Organizations. I was hoping to be able to set up an interview the two of them about the videos.” 

“Well I'm not sure, We'll have to discuss it and get back to you.”, Adam pines said not sure how the kids especially Dipper would react to being interviewed. 

“I totally understand sir, here is my card.” Sol said as he pulled the card out of his red leather jacket. “Thanks again for talking with me. Please let me know if they'll be up to the interview. Have a good day, Mr. Pines.”

Shutting the door Adam Pines watches as Mr Rouse heads back up the sidewalk, hops onto a red motorcycle, and until he rides away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well all here's another Chapter, I want to thank everyone who has favorited and followed this story. I enjoy hearing from everyone. One final chapter coming in the first storyline. I'm thinking of continuing the storyline here and not starting a second story.  
> Dipper is getting better thanks to Wendy. The Basilisk has been captured, but at what cost? Nate is injured, Tony is a Wooden version of Francis, and Wendy's secret is becoming more exposed. The next Power set has now made an appearance, but what all will it entail and who is in the armor? Finally the Motorcycle guy has came to the Pines house. 
> 
> I thought I'd share a few of the songs I listen to while I'm writing (or usually when GF or one of my other shows aren't on at least): Gwendolyn from the Spiderman: Rock Reflections Of A Superhero http:// gobacktothepast. Com/ spider-manrock-reflections-of-a-superhero/, Little Dipper and Billy Boy by Kayla Berrie https:// soundcloud. com/ kaylaberrie/little-Dipper-demo, the Battle Scars by Paradise Fears (from the GF AMV with the same name), Could It Be from the Kim Possible So The Drama Movie, What Might Have Been from Phineas & Ferb, Buddy Holly by Weezer, The Lumberjack Song from Monty Python (and I'm always picturing Manly Dan singing it at karaoke with out ever hearing it before after being told the title by Tyler and yes this is headcannon for me and probably will be written at some time), and Riders In The Sky (which ever version I put in my playlist, I have it covered by about 12-13 different bands). 
> 
> I know I don't usually share too much personal here, but again I want to thank every one. This story started out as much as a bit of personal therapy as the need to tell this story. I was caring for my mother who was dealing with not only diabetes/dialysis, but within the last year was diagnosed with a mild bone cancer. I also have health issues of my own. I'm not telling you this for sympathy I just wanted to get it out there as a preemptive apology if I'm ever late on getting a chapter posted. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 13-15-18-14-9-14-7, 14-15-15-14, 1-14-4 14-9-7-8-20, 20-8-5-25 19-8-1-18-5 1-12-12 9-14 20-8-5 6-9-7-8-20. 4-1-25 2-25 4-1-25 23-8-15 1-12-12 19-8-1-12-12 3-15-13-5 20-15 16-12-1-25?


	16. Chapter 16

** Chapter 16 **

**Site of the battle Saturday October 27, 2012 2:35 PM**   


“Well it took so long to get this thing on I got here too late for the fight. Like, I really wanted to test this thing out,” the robot said before the it raised the front of what looked like an old knights helmet. Inside was Pacifica. She had several electrodes attached to her head. “Alright I was told someone here was hurt, who is it?” She stopped as she saw the wooden Tony.

“What happen to Tony?” Pacifica asked wheeling on Wendy as she did so.

“He was about to fall into the stream. I had to turn him into wood to save him.”, Wendy said as she saw Nate start to collapse only to be held up by Grenda & Lee

“Sure you did,” Pacifica spat out, not noticing what's going on behind her, “then why haven't you tried to return him to normal?” 

“'He's soaking wet, if I changed him back now he'll melt anyways and all of this would be for nothing.”, Wendy said calmly, as she almost forced her way past Pacifica. “Right now we need to get Nate some medical attention and then we need to get Tony back to the Shack to dry him off.” 

Pausing to think about it Pacifica had to admit Wendy had a point. Heading over to Nate she flipped open a panel on the upper pert of her left gauntlet. She tapped at a few buttons and a green wave pulsed over his body. “His body is fighting off some sort of slow acting nuero-toxin. So far his heart rate and breathing are still stable.” She stared at the projected readout some more and then spoke, both to the crowd with them and those back at the Shack, “According my systems, it will act faster if he continues to fight it. I think he needs a sedative. Anyone know if he has any allergies?” 

Lee shook his head and she hears Tambry say over the line, “I'm looking. Not finding anything in his records, don't ask me how.” 

Pacifica reached down and a panel opened along the left thigh of the armor and she pulled out a small syringe. She looked softly at Nate and spoke, “Like, this may hurt for a moment.” and then she gave him the shot. “Melody, I'm gonna be coming in hot. Have someone ready to drive Nate to the hospital. I'll send a relay of the readings ahead, we'll figure out a reasonable story along the way.”

“Lee get the paintball gear off of him. A cut through a shirt is one thing, trying to explain what was able to do it through the paintball padding is another matter all together.” after he got the chest pad off of him, she scanned him again to see how bad the possible blood loss was. Remarkably his blood pressure was fairly regular and the bleeding from the chest wound seemed to already be slowed down. Closing the mask she bent down and gently picked him up. “Alright guys I'll be back.” and she lifted off heading back towards the Shack. 

“Alright guys, we still need to get back to at least the Humvee. We'll take turns carrying them,” Wendy said pointing to Tony and the basilisk. She walked over to the stone Leshy and picked up the tracker and then tapped her ear bud. “We're heading towards the Humvee, be ready to help if we need it.” 

“Sure thing, dood.” Soos replied. 

They laid Tony and the basilisk on Nate's shield and using some vines to make longer straps. They then each slipped the straps over their shoulders, with Wendy taking Tony's shield. She and Lee took the first length of the trip carrying the load, while Grenda took lead. 

**Mystery Shack 2:50 PM**

“Alright Pacifica, Melody has her car ready. She's gonna tell them that a customer brought him into the Shack saying they found him while on a hike.”, Tambry said as she was tracking the movements of both the CHARGE unit and the tracker Wendy and the group had picked up. “Wendy and the guys have started to head toward the Humvee, but they are moving slowly since they're carrying Tony. I'll send you their location after you are back in the air.”

“Careful on the propulsion system, if you push it to hard it'll over work itself and burn out. Remember this is only the prototype. Fiddleford hasn't had a chance to work out all the kinks yet.” Candy said as she's watching the screen that is monitoring the armors readings. “We don't need to have to hunt you down cause you've went too fast on everything.” 

Melody is standing out front of the Shack watching the sky for the CHARGE unit and Pacifica. Looking westward she barely registered the low humming come from just to the left of where she was looking. She turned as she noticed the hum and saw the CHARGE unit coming in close. 

“Melody. Here's Nate.” Pacifica said as she landed, “Now, like, get him to the hospital, mention my name if needed we still have some pull.” After she was sure he was in the car, she took back off heading towards where she last left the group. 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

“Alright, see bro-bro. Our buddies did it. They caught the basilisk.”, Mabel said jumping up and down in excitement. 

“Yeah, but at what cost? Nate's hurt and heading to the hospital and they said someone else was injured. I'm not sure who it was but apparently it wasn't as bad as Nate. We should've been there.” Dipper said slamming his hand into the lap desk he had his lap top on. 

“They gonna be ok, Dipping Dots. Wendy is in charge of things down there and you know she wouldn't want to let you down.” Mabel leaned over and hugged her sibling. “and think about it, we'll be up there in just a little over two weeks. We' ll get to see all of them and both Grunkles.” 

“I know sis, I'm just hoping things get better by then.” Dipper said. He then hit his mic on, “Good job guys. Keep us up to date, we've got to get going, Piedmont out.” and then he logged off of the screen connection and powered down the computer. 

“Why did you do that? They weren't back to the Shack yet.” Mabel asked not believing Dipper had done it.

“What good could we have done? We're stuck here. They have all of my research. We're useless here.” Dipper said as he set the lap desk to the side and headed towards the bathroom. He really didn't need to go but he had to get away from her questioning stare. He just sat on the toilet and thought, 'I'm useless here while we're down here. And now that Wendy can do what she can and Pacifica has the CHARGE unit I may even be useless up there.' 

**Gravity Falls 3:05 PM  
Path back to the truck**

“I think I see Pacifica coming, let's take a rest,” Grenda said as she and Wendy were now carrying the shield/stretcher while Lee was guarding them with his and Nate's taser pistols. 

They found a clear patch and set the shield down and shook the feeling back into their arms while watching the armor coming down near them. 

“You guys ok? You're only about 20 minutes away from the Humvee.” Pacifica asked as she walked over to the group. 

“Had to take a break. For two lil guys, they're remarkably heavy.” Wendy said looking down on the two statues laying on the shield. 

“Well I'll take Tony on this trip, maybe the flight will dry him off enough that you can undo this,” Pacifica said waving at the wooden Tony. 

“Be careful Paz, I heard what Candy said about you pushing the suit too much.” Grenda said putting a hand on the arm of the armor and attempting to calmly sound concerned, “We really don't want to have to go looking for the two of you in the forest.” 

“Don't worry, I'm just trying to get the hang of it.” Pacifica sincerely said. She grabbed the basilisk and handed it off to Grenda and picked up the shield with Tony still on it. “See you all back at the Shack.” and she took off. 

After she left the other went on and headed to the Humvee. When they got close they called for Robbie and Thompson to come take the creature off of their hands and get it into the containment box.

“Ok, all this and the creature is made out of freaking wood!” Robbie said after they got it into the unit.

“Look, I told all of you there was stuff I was gonna need to tell everyone once we all got back to the Shack, ok.” Wendy snapped at him as she got into the shotgun seat. Lee, Grenda, & Soos all looked at her knowing what the talk was gonna be about.

“Whatever.” Robbie said as he sulked into one of the back seats of the Humvee. 

Once everyone was loaded Soos. Backed the Humvee up and turned around so they were heading back to the Shack. 

**Gravity Falls General Hospital**

“Alright Miss Melody, tell me again what happened?” The nurse at the ER counter asked after another nurse and an orderly had taken Nate into the ER Unit.

“A group of tourists were apparently hiking in the woods near my work, when they came across Nate. He's a friend of my co-worker's. Once they saw he was in this condition, one of them said she was a nurse and that afraid he would hurt himself on the way here she gave him a mild sedative. Said it looked like a wild animal attack. As I loaded him into the car they went back out on their hike.” Melody said the story she had practiced on all the way to the hospital. “Is he gonna be ok?”

“We've got a doctor in with him right now. Go ahead and have a seat in the waiting room and we'll keep you updated.” The nurse said as she turned to help the next patient, Mr Poolcheck, “Again Poolcheck? What happened now?”

Melody stopped listening as she sat down and called the Shack. Soos answered. “You're back already, Soos? Put Tambry on the line.”

**Mystery Shack  
Former wax museum room**

“Alright so you weren't able to tell them about the nerve toxin,” Tambry said after listening as Melody explained the situation. “Hmm, well luckily most of the hospital charts are now computer based. I'll see if I can slip a copy of the scan the CHARGE unit did into their files. The rest of the group is back and Wendy wants to talk to us, but I'll get this done first. We'll be there as soon as we can, we'll just say you called us.” 

While she was on the phone Wendy was gathering up the rest of the group. Pacifica had placed the containment device in the corner with the prototype before getting out of the armor. Apparently she currently is confined to the chest portion of the unit as the arms and legs were currently all servos and mechanisms. Fiddleford said he had plans on micro-sizing the hardware so it would eventually be able to be worn like a suit of armor. He gave most of the credit for the idea to Soos who had introduced him to anime while building the Shacktron.

After Tambry was finally done doing what was needed for Nate, Wendy called everybody over so she could finally tell everyone what was going on. “Remember how I went missing for awhile last week,” Wendy started before telling everyone here what had happened down to catching saving Thompson, catching the 'Mole', and the truth about what had happened at the glade. The gang was shocked at first that Pacifica had found out before them, but understood that she was still figuring everything out and had wanted to try to protect them in the process. But after everything went down out there today she needed to come clean to her gang. 

Having heard most of this already, Pacifica went to the kitchen and got herself a glass of tea. 

“Is the wooden transformation a one way thing, or is there some way to reverse it?” Tambry asked as she was looking at Francis and Tony.

“Well first I need to do this,” Wendy said as she pulled out the spectral ax transforming in the process, _“And then I concentrate.”_

As she was doing it a soft glow came over Tony's wooden form and then in an amount of time that Pacifica could tell was longer than it took for the curse to reverse at the party, he finally started to regain his coloring. As everybody watched he finally started to look like he was back to normal. Wendy noticed the glow lasted a few moments longer than it had when she had released the Isaacs guy at the jail.

“Ahhh!” Tony screamed as he thought he was still falling into the stream. Then he realized he was back at the Shack, “Wait what happened?” 

_“I saved you.”_ Wendy said from his side. 

“Wait, What?” Tony asked as he jumped in the other direction causing him to run into the returning Pacifica. The glass of tea flew from her hand as he hit her splashing all over the two of them.

“NO!” They screamed as they both realized what had happened.

Tony had stopped breathing as he expected the liquid would start to dissolve him at any time, but when nothing had happened after almost a minute he opened his eyes. Everyone was staring at him as they too had expected him to disappear.

“Wait, what? How?” Tony kept repeating, he had survived being hit with liquid. How though? 

“Oh, my gosh,” Pacifica was standing there. After all she the flak she had given Wendy, here she was the one that had nearly destroyed him. She turned and ran out of the room. She couldn't stay there. She could have killed him. She rushed outside and stopped herself just short of running into the forest. 

**Back in the Shack**

“How is this possible?” Tony asked as he saw Wendy rush out after the distraught Pacifica.

“I'm not sure?” Candy said as she came upon him, “From the descriptions both you and Dipper gave us you should be a puddle of goo right now, no offense.” 

“Well, didn't Dipper say these two twins” Thompson said pointing between Tony & Francis, “were originally made from paper from an enchanted copier or something? Maybe when Wendy turned him from paper/flesh to wood and back again, she somehow made him completely human and not just a paper construct?” 

Candy was still checking him out to make sure he wasn't melting anywhere when she noticed another difference, while he still had his scar he no longer had his birthmark on his forehead. “Your birthmark is gone.” she said to him in a quiet voice. 

“What where's a mirror?” he said looking around the room again before seeing one over the fireplace. She was right, his big Dipper birthmark was gone. 

**Outside the Shack**

_“Pacifica, come back. It was an accident. Tony's fine.”_ Wendy was yelling as she tried to catch up to the little blonde, 'She keeps her self fit I'll give her that.' Wendy thought as she got to the porch, Pacifica was almost to the woods. Worried about her heading into the woods as upset as she was without thinking Wendy ghosted on over to her side. _“He's fine, Pacifica. He didn't melt. I don't know why, but he didn't.”_

“Yeah, but I could have done it. I could have been the one to destroy him. After all the trouble I'd giving you over him and I nearly destroyed him.” Pacifica said as she turned and hugged her former frenemy. “I'm sorry, lord I'm so sorry.” 

_“I know, I know,”_ Wendy said as she comforted the young blond. _“Right now we just need to be happy for him. It seems he may not need to worry about water anymore, but we may want to get him checked out before we say for sure. Let's get back in there to congratulate our friend.”_

“Have we thought to see if you would be able to change Francis back?”, The formerly distraught Pacifica asked as the thought popped into her head. 

_“No we haven't.”_ Wendy replied wondering why she hadn't thought to try it.

**Back in the shack.**

“While I was changed did anything happen to me?” Tony asked as he was still looking into the mirror

“You fell face first into the stream right after you were turned,” Grenda said as she thought back to the earlier fight. “I dragged you out. Maybe you chipped off a piece sometime in that bit?”

“Maybe,” he said as he turned back and looked over his group of 'friends?', and he noticed two people were missing, “Hey where's Nate and Melody?”

**Gravity Falls General Hospital 4:15 PM  
ER Waiting Room**

“Miss Melody, We've got some news on your friend.” the charge nurse said as she walked over to Melody. “We apparently had received a call telling whoever had his chart there was a suspected natural nerve toxin in his blood stream. After a quick blood test we found the toxin, some sort of snake venom and gave him a dose of the anti toxin. He's responding to the treatment and should be on the path to recovery, but he'll still need to spend a few days in our care just to be safe. Has your friend been able to reach his family? We tried but the emergency number we had on file for him turned out to be his own cellphone.” 

“I'm not sure if she did, I'll try her again as I pass on the good news. Thank you.” Melody said as a big weight was lifted off of her chest. After the nurse left she reach into her purse and pulled out her phone and dialed up the Shack and passed on the news. She also said someone needed to try to reach Nate's parents 

**Mystery Shack  
Former Wax Museum room**

“Nate sounds like he's gonna be ok.” Tambry said after she got off of the phone with Melody, “Lee, they need you to call his parents.”

“Uhm, that's gonna be hard.” Lee said shuffling his feet like a little kid, “His parents are out of town, and we're not sure when they're supposed to be back.” 

“Wait, what? How long have they been gone?” Tambry asked

“Uhm, about 3 years.” Lee, “They send a check every month that covers most of the bills and the house is paid for so....” 

Wendy and Pacifica burst into the room. Wendy started, _“Tony, we're just thought of something. Don't get your hopes up, but I'm gonna see if I'm able to reverse the petrification the same way I was able to reverse you.”_

Wendy walked over to Francis and started to concentrate, _“Here we go...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for continuing to read my work. This chapter and the next are the transition chapters between the storylines. I'm gonna be using them too flesh out some of the outlying characters. I am also thinking of possibly starting some drabbles that will be set in the GH universe to help build on characters that float around the edge of verse. If I do it will be updated sporadically unlike this series. Mostly when I have the extra time.  
> I'm gonna finish the cliff hanger next chapter and then it's gonna be just some conversations covering the two weeks in between this chapter and the Thanksgiving Break when the twins get back to the Gravity Falls.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 14-1-20-5, 14-1-20-5, 23-8-25 19-15 12-1-20-5? 23-9-12-12 25-15-21 10-21-19-20 19-21-18-22-9-22-5 15-18 23-9-12-12 25-15-21 20-8-18-9-22-5?


	17. Chapter 17

** Chapter 17 **

**Gravity Falls Sunday October 27, 2012 4:20 PM**  
**Mystery Shack**  
**Former Wax Museum room**

Wendy stood next to the stone Francis who seems to be glowing, but nothing seemed to be happening. 

“Is it working?”, Tony asked hopefully. 

“I'm not sure, this was a long shot as it is. He's stone and her abilities work on like, wood.” Pacifica said as she was watching.

“Wendy, Wendy, Wendy.” Thompson, Tambry, Lee start chanting and are quickly joined by Grenda, Candy, Soos, Robbie, and finally Pacifica & Tony. 

**Piedmont, California  
Mabel's room**

Mabel had left Dipper's room not to long after he had made the excuse to leave earlier, taking his not so subtle hint. She was now sitting down knitting the 5th sweater she had planned on making for all of her friends up in Gravity Falls. She thought she had heard Dipper head back to his room a while ago but had figured she could give him a chance to be a downer for a bit before she went to raise his spirits. She was finishing up the left sleeve on hot pink sweater she had planned for Pacifica when she thought she had heard a something like a pile of books falling down the hall.

“Dip?” She yelled dropping the knitting like it was nothing as she jumped up and ran down the hall.

“Dipper!” She yelled as she found him slumped on the floor.

“S.. sh...she..”, Dipper was mumbling as she gently turned him over and tried to cradle his head in her lap. She looked him over to see if there was any new damage from this fall but didn't see anything. She also didn't see anything he could have tripped over or nothing. Realizing he was still mumbling she listened to what he was saying, he seemed to be repeating the same sentence over and over. Though the last of it changed as she held him. “my help. S...sh...she needs our help. S...sh...she needs our help.” 

Not entirely getting what he was saying, she tried stroking his hair to try to calm him down and then she grabbed his closest hand to reassure him that she was here. No sooner she done that, then she was there with her brother watching as Wendy was standing in front of the statue of Francis and it was glowing. She heard a 'Wendy' chant going on in the background but couldn't tell where it was coming from, but she could hear Dipper's voice in the mix. It seemed like she was starting to get tired but she joined into the chant as well.

**Gravity Falls  
** Mystery Shack  
Former Wax Museum room 

Wendy wasn't sure where the extra energy she was feeling was coming from but surge had reinvigorated her as she was starting to fade. Something about it was familiar though. She had almost given up on being able to try saving Francis but suddenly the stone facade started to fade and it was replaced with an oaken tone. 

Tony broke from the chant as he saw his brother had begun to change, but as he realized he was only changing from stone to wood his heart had begun to close off from the hope he had been feeling. 

“T...Tony, is that you?” The wooden Francis asked as he moved towards his crestfallen brother before he realized they were no longer in the woods and that he had what appeared to be a ghost that vaguely looked familiar to him standing in front of him. He also felt as if his joints were stiff, like the night they had slept in that abandoned bowling alley.

“Francis!” Tony jumped at his brother so fast he broke Wendy's concentration.

Everyone else had stopped chanting as they saw Tony rush over and hug his wooden twin. Then they saw Wendy power down and drop to the floor. 

“Wendy!” Tambry and Pacifica yell at the same time and rush to her side. Soos gets there next and picks up the redhead he sees as a younger sister and gets her quickly to the couch in his former break room. He was followed by the two girls. 

In all of the excitement only Fiddleford had noticed Toot-toot had seemed to revert to flesh and dropped to the floor asleep. 

**Piedmont, California 4:40 PM  
Dipper's room**

Dipper woke up on the floor with his head in Mabel's lap. As he tried to figure out what happened realized she is propped up against his bed and had snoring slightly. 

“What happened?” He asked loudly enough that it woke up Mabel. 

“Dip, you're ok!” Mabel said more enthusiastically than she should be able to muster seeing as she had just been sound asleep. She reached down and pulled him into a hug almost crying.

“Whoa, sis. What's wrong?” Dipper asked as he finished pulling himself into a seated position and out of the hug.

“I was down the hall working on the early Christmas gift sweaters when I heard something falling in here, I come in and you're collapsed on the floor muttering something.” She said as she turned away from him.

“What?” Dipper asked

“You, you were saying 'She needs my help!' and when I got you it changed to 'She needs our help!'. The next thing I remember I was standing with Wendy and Francis was glowing. Then you woke me up.” She can't figure out why she was turning from her twin, but for some reason it almost felt as bad as when she had heard him say he was taking Ford's apprenticeship offer. 

“Wendy, you were with Wendy?” Dipper said after she had finished, not realizing she had pulled away from him somewhat. 

They hear their father let out a loud whoop as apparently whatever game he was watching was going his way. 

**Gravity Falls 9:00 PM  
** Corduroy house  
Wendy's room 

“So somehow it appears that I was able to switch the basilisk's curse with my ghostly wooden curse.” Wendy spoke into her phone talking to her boy down in Piedmont. “After Fiddleford & Lee had taken Toot-toot to the bed of the Humvee, McGucket came back in and checked the video feed from inside the containment box. After verifying it was still still, he opened up the box and the basilisk was solid stone. I was out for a good hour, from what I was told Tambry and Pacifica never left my side. Tambry said Pacifica was worried that it was all her fault. You know I think I'm starting to warm up to lil miss priss.” Wendy chuckled a little at that admission. 

“I was still worn out when Melody had came back to the Shack. Nate was in a room of his own and would be able to get visitors tomorrow.” Wendy hung Dipper's hat on her headboard as she went about making sure she had everything ready for the morning. Then she heard him ask something that caught her attention “Ok it was around 4:15-4:25 ish, why?”

“What? Ok, that's weird.” Wendy said as she plopped down on her bed. “You both dropped to sleep around that time with no warning? Man, you better not be messing with me.” 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

“Interesting, and Blind Ivan just passed out? What happened to him?” Dipper said as he was figuring everything out. “What happened to you?” 

As he listened he moved around his room making sure everything was up off the floor for the third time since his collapse earlier. “Tambry I understand, but Pacifica?” 

“How's Nate?” Dipper asked worrying about his friend's health. “Good, good. Hey what time did everything go down with the transformation?” 

He sat down on his bed as she gave him the time. “That's about when Mabel and I suddenly dropped to sleep. Well according to Mabel I went first and she dropped after taking my hand. I swear on the journals, we woke up around 4:40” 

Pulling her hat off of his desk he just held it close. “No, you have already taxed yourself too much for one day.”

**Gravity Falls  
Wendy's room**

“Ok, do you want me to come down there?” Wendy asked worried about Dipper, afraid she had done something that may have hurt the twins.

**Northwest Manor  
Pacifica's room**

“After we figured out that she hadn't, like, tried her mojo on Francis we rushed in to see if it would work on him,” Pacifica was talking to Mabel over a chat line.

“I thought you said you two nearly came to blows again,” Mabel asked as she was brushing her hair before she wrapped it into a bun to sleep in.

“Yeah, we both had fried nerves earlier and I snapped at her. I was worried about Tony after seeing him turned to wood.” Pacifica replied.

“Uh oh, does Paz got crush going on?” Mabel asked. 

“What, no he's just a friend. It'd be like trying to get with Dipper after all this stuff going on with him and her.” Pacifica said talking about Dipper and Wendy. “Heck even I'm beginning to see they fit together.” 

What she hadn't seen Mabel release the breath she had held till her friend answered. “So, what happened to Francis, did it work?”

“Well he was turned to wood and apparently the basilisk was turned to stone. After that Wendy collapsed so Tambry and I sat watch over her. I was worried I had pushed her too hard.” Pacifica continued 

“Wait he has turned to wood?” Mabel sat straight up at that.

“Yeah, but he was talking, I think. I'm not completely sure, I rushed out following Wendy. Soos carried her into another room and laid her on a sofa till she came to.” Pacifica answered. “He and Tony were eating a sandwich by the time Wendy was better. Looked flesh and blood to me, woofing down the salami and a can of Pitt each.”

“I wonder what happened to Toot-toot? Hold on, they were drinking sodas? That should've killed them.” Mabel was shocked at what had heard. 

“Well it appears that as a side effect from Wendy's turning them to wood and back actually turned them fully human. We found it out after I accidentally spilled a glass of tea on Tony after he was un-woodified.” Pacifica said looking embarrassed. “That's actually what caused Wendy to run to check on me.”

“Whoa, are you and Wendy becoming friends?” Mabel asked excited for her friend's continuing growth.

“I guess so, I really hadn't thought of it like that.” Pacifica was the one surprised this time.

“Well take that Northwest Curse! A Northwest and a lumberjack actually being friends!” Mabel was fist pumping like crazy at this.

**Dipper's room**

“Nah, we're pretty good. And a good nights est will probably do us all some good.” Dipper said trying to relieve her fears. 

“Well it sounds like Mabel just heard some type of good news.” Dipper said as he heard the volume and tone coming from his sister's room but not what was said. 

“Yeah, I miss you too. But you've already collapsed once today. I don't want you to over exert yourself again.” He said with more than a hint of concern in his voice. 

“Yeah, all three of them will be back at school tomorrow. Mostly just gonna try to avoid them. I, well we will. You too.” Dipper said wanting to hear her hang up before he did the same. He hung the hat up on his bed post and closed his eyes. 

**Gravity Falls  
Wendy's room**

“What was that?” Wendy asked as she heard what sounded like a high pitched yelp crossed with a cheerleader's routine in the background.

“Ah, ok. That makes sense.” She said as she considered Dipper's answer. “Man we could've used you today. I missed having you there leading us. I missed just having you here. I'm still tempted to ghost down there again just to see you.” 

'Once again Dipper was being both caring and practical. Yet another reason I want him here. He's always thinking of ways to keep me safe, even from myrself. Good thing I try to keep him safe, too.' This thinking made her remember something important, “Aren't those jerks supposed to be back at your school tomorrow, they only had a weeks suspension. What's the plan to deal with them?” She started to put her hair into a loose braid to make it more manageable in the morning while she listened to his response.

“I already know you will be, but be careful, ok? I have to get breakfast ready in the morning so I better be heading to bed. Be careful, you're important to me.” She hung up after he replied with 'You too.'

'Man, I really do missed my lil dork.” she thought as she turned her head to look at his hat as she was heading off to sleep. 

**Piedmont, California Monday October 28th, 2012 2:45 PM  
Nancy Reagan Middle School **

“Ok, this is weird,” Mabel said as the twins were leaving school for the day, she actually was a little bit nervous. “I didn't see, Jimmy, Tyson, or Lumps at all today and I have a class with Jimmy. And Lumps never misses lunch, I think it's his favorite subject.”

“Yeah, something feels off about this.” Dipper said as he noticed they were passing one of the little bodegas along the route home. “I'm gonna grab a drink, you want something?” 

“Hmm. A candy bar, a can of Pitt, some nachos...” She started replying to his question.

“Tell you what, go ahead and come in with me. Not feeling it's too safe to leave you out here alone.” He said stopping her response and holding the door open for her. 

As they entered they heard the a news prompt ring off of the TV the clerk was watching while he didn't have any customers. “We're bringing you more information on the string of fires that plagued Piedmont last night. As you already know two houses and a townhouse were burnt to the ground overnight, the fires were so intense all the firefighters were able to do once they arrived was try to prevent the fires from spreading onto other neighboring houses. As of just 20 minutes ago the Fire Department and Police Arson Investigators have confirmed all three families living at the residences were consumed by the fire. We'll bring you more information as it becomes available.” 

Mabel turns from the video on the screen, “Dipper, I recognize that yard. That's Jimmy's house!”

They ended up not getting anything at the store and ran home.

**Gravity Falls 6:30 PM  
Mystery Shack Gift Shop**

“Thank you for calling the Mystery Shack, where we put the fun in no refund!”, Wendy said as she was covering the last half hour of the register duty so Melody could help cook dinner since the shop has two extra mouths to feed currently. “Dipper, man it's good to hear from you. It's earlier than usual though, what's up?” 

Seeing as the last customer had left 10 minutes ago she went around absentmindedly dusting while she was talking to the her boy. Suddenly she stopped what she was doing and tried to figure out what he was asking her, “No, I went to sleep right after we hung up from each other. Why, what happened? All three of them, including their families? Come on man, you know I wouldn't do that.”

“They were burned to the ground, man, no definitely not me. I can see why you felt the need to ask, but you should have known I wouldn't have done that. And he wouldn't have either, that would've been murder not justice.” She had to sit down, man, she had thought of going down there and give those jerks a scare but this, no. No one, deserved this. 

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

'Alright Dipper, you can do this. You just need to verify what you already know.' Dipper had been thinking the same thing as he seemed to be trying to pace a hole in his bedroom carpet. 'She couldn't have done it, she was too wiped out after everything yesterday. And there were kids in Tyson's house, he had three younger siblings. She couldn't have done it, even with the ghost in her. Ok, you have to do it, it's the only way to find out for sure.'

He dialed the Shack, part of him hoping that she had gone home already, but she was the one to answer even. He waited for her to finish the Mystery Shacks slogan before he spoke, “Hi there Wendy.”

'I can't do this, I'm about to accuse the woman I trust more than anything of arson and murder.' he thought, nearly back stepping as he finally started out by asking her, “You didn't stay up last night after we had our talk did you?”

As he listened to her response he was hopeful that he could trust what she was saying, but here comes the real test. “Last night someone burned down the houses of Jimmy, Lumps, & Tyson. Yeah, they were all inside when it happened apparently. They're saying it was arson.” Lord he felt worse then when Jimmy had tackled him, hell worse than when he realized how tempted he was to ignore his gut instinct and to have gone with the fake Wendy back in Mabeland. ,He felt like he had betrayed her then, and now he was doing it again. “I know, I hoped beyond hope you hadn't but I had to make sure. Especially with your new partner's previous thirst for vengeance.”

“I believe you, I do. I just had to get the feeling out of my gut. I'm gonna have to get going, I have homework to get done. Be careful, you're important to me.” He almost hung up before hearing her say the 'You too.' He was feeling so bad about even thinking she could be even remotely responsible. He throws himself on his bed and just screams into his pillow. 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack Gift Shop **

'Wait a minute he nearly hung up on me before I could even finish our normal routine, is he that upset? Is it at me or no he's upset with himself.' Wendy thought as she was running the conversation over again in her head. He's probably beating himself up over this. Deciding on her course of action she head to the Wax room where there were now two cots her father had at home in the attic that the 'Clondike' twins were staying at. 

“Tony, Francis. I have to leave early can you guys run the front for me?” She half asked, half told the newest members of their extended family.

“Sure Wendy,” Francis replied. She was sure it was Francis cause Tony had went ahead and cut his hair into a mohawk shortly after he finally washed the tea Pacifica had spilled on him. He was doing everything he could to differentiate himself from Dipper. 

“Thanks Francis, I'll let Soos know.” she said as she ran towards the office.

Once there she knocked and opened the door as soon as she heard him respond. “Soos, man. Dipper needs me.” 

“Ok, dawg. Go to him.” Soos said knowing he couldn't stop her if he wanted to. 

“Thanks,” She said as she hugged the new Mister Mystery. 

She then dialed up Mabel and as soon as she answered said, “Check the hall, Dipper needs me and I'm on my way.” Once Mabel gave the clear she drew out the ax and then disappeared.

**Piedmont, California  
Dipper's room**

_“You nearly hung up on me, I know something's wrong Dipper.”_ Dipper heard from behind him as he was still beating himself up mentally with his face buried in his pillow.

“Come on, man talk to me,” the now powered down Wendy said as she sat next to him on his bed. She put her hand on his shoulder and he flinched and almost pulled away. 

“Man, I don't know what exactly is going on here, but you don't need to be in here beating yourself up.” She went and moved her hand up to his hair and gently began to run her fingers through it trying to calm him down. “I'm here and I'm willing to stay all night to get you to talk to me. How are you gonna explain that to your parents.”

“You wouldn't, you'd get in trouble too.”, Dipper shot up at the thought that she'd risk angering her dad for him, he went so fast he almost accidentally headbutted her.

“There, that got you talking.” she said with a smile, trying to get through to him. “Alright man out with it. You never try to end our conversations early, especially over homework. I know you have to have yours done before you can go to training, you told me that yourself. So what's bugging you?” 

“Look, I know you're wanting to have that conversation when we get up to Gravity Falls for Thanksgiving week.” he said moving around her to stand up, once he was up he walked over to the opposite wall before he talked to her again. “It's, it's not gonna happen. You deserve better than me.”

“Wait, what are you talking about. Better than you? Dude, if there's someone better than you out there, I've never met them. And to be honest I don't want to.” She stood up and started to walk over to him, but stopped in order to give him the space he seemed to want, “Remember back when we were running from Gideon's Autolot Warriors, you told me I was the coolest person you knew. Well you know what, you're the coolest person I know. I was so happy that you still felt that way after I said what I did at the bunker. I was scared then. Sure I was worried about the age deal, the fact you were leaving Gravity Falls at the end of the summer, but neither of them were what I was worried about the most. It's not exactly a secret I have a few exes, but besides Robbie I don't talk to any of them. I was worried if things went south, you'd never talk to me man. I meant what I said about throwing myself down the bottomless pit if we ever stopped talking.”

He turned towards to her, “Like I said I don't deserve that. I've betrayed you twice now.”

“What are you talking about?” She asked taking another step towards him then stopping.

“Back in the bubble, remember how everyone seemingly got the greatest wish fulfilled. Well I ran out of Mabel's office before the bubble could tempt me, or so I thought.” He turned again and this time he punched the side of the bookcase he was near. “I went down to some river and complained about everything to the river itself. You came up to me asking why I was talking to the to the river.”

“Dude, I didn't see you again til you had gotten arrested.” Wendy countered.

“I know. But there you were, you said destroying the school had gotten old pretty fast and then complained about Mabeland with me. I mentioned needing a plan and you said I'd come up with one. I was the smartest guy you knew,” he saw she was about to say something so he held up a hand to stall her, “then you mentioned if I was older I'd be your dream guy. Heh. You turned to me and brought up that with Mabel being in charge of the bubble she could have the power to make me older. You offered me your hand and then you winked at me. Even knowing something wasn't right I still nearly took your hand. I was so tempted that I nearly threw everything away.” and with that he threw another punch into the bookcase.

“But you didn't, you rejected it. You rejected it because you knew it wasn't me. I'm actually honored that you were able to turn away from that form of temptation. You were better than me, I sold out just to trash a school with my friends.” Wendy said a little displeased with herself. “That's only once though when was the other time?”

“It was tonight, a part of me actually thought you'd have allowed your other half to attack Jimmy, Lumps, & Tyson.” he said as he went to punch the bookcase a third time only for her to have gotten close enough to catch his hand. 

“Man if our roles were reversed I'd have thought I'd have possibly done it also.” she said pulling him closer to her, “but you also said you knew I couldn't do it. You just wanted to hear it from me, which is totally fair.” 

“But you deserve someone who would be able to trust you explicitly.” he said almost crying.

“Bro, you're being something I never thought I'd be able to call you, a stupid idiot.” Mabel said from the door, “I don't mean to interrupt, but the noise you were making punching, I'm guessing the bookcase, was making dad suspicious. He started to come up but I stopped him by telling him you had stubbed you toe and punched your dresser in frustration.” 

Mabel started to come in but decided against it so she could continue to keep an eye out for one of the parents. “Now as for why I'm calling you a stupid idiot, you have the lady of your dreams right in front of you doing everything but saying she loves you and you're now thinking you're not worthy of her love. Really the only person who can say that is her. I'll leave you two alone again, if you promise not to punch your helpless bookcase.” 

“I promise.” Dipper said resignedly.

After she was gone Wendy held him close and spoke to him, “What you think I deserve and what I want are two totally different things, Dipper. And you sister is right. I mean I came all the way down here just to see what was wrong with you, and I'd have done it by bus or car I had needed to. I care for you Dip. Hell I was gonna wait for you to say it in two weeks but you know what, I'm not waiting till then or for you to say it. Dipper, I love you. I'll understand if you don't want to say it back yet.” She then let him go and turned to walk away, but is stopped by him grabbing her wrist. 

He gently turns her back around and looks her in the eyes, “Wendy, I've had a crush on you since I first met you and I've loved you probably since I first got to know you. I'm sorry I'm such a worrywart.”

“Dipper. Worrywart and all, I know you'll have my back no matter what and that's just one of the multitude of reasons I love you.” And with that Wendy leaned down and gave him a small kiss on the lips. 

“Wow,” Dipper said after wards.

“There will be more of those later, but unless I want to get grounded I better be getting home. ok. We'll talk more as it get's closer to your trip.” Wendy said as she backed away and pulled out the ax. _“Keep up those training exercises and soon you'll be the one carrying me. As it is I'll need to help this,”_ and she reached out to where he had punched the bookcase. Looking over he saw he had actually nearly cracked it when she touched it, it started stitching back together. Then she turned to him and took his hand, _“and this.”_

“Alright Wendy, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Be careful, you're important to me.” Dipper said as he hugged her good bye.

_“You too.”_ She said as she started to ghost away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well all here is the latest installment of Gravity Heroes. It was meant for this set of conversations to only be a short part of the story, but mother had an accident on Easter morning while I was working on this chapter. She gained a bunch of staples in the side of her head and looks a little like a raccoon due to two black eyes after face-planting while walking in the house. 
> 
> Somehow what was gonna be a chapter dealing with just the aftermath of the healing of the new twins and how to introduce them to Dipper and Mabel's parents, I decided the Grunkles will be involved. Thanks to characters taking over again second half got moved to the next chapter and the actions of/about the Piedmont bullies was moved to this one.  
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. Thanks again to all who read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.  
> 18-5-4 6-9-18-5, 18-5-4 19-11-25, 4-9-4 20-8-5-25 1-12-12 18-5-1-12-12-25 4-9-5?


	18. Chapter 18

** Chapter 18 **

**Piedmont, California Thursday November 1st, 2012 8:30 PM  
Mabel's room**

Mabel is sitting cross legged on her her bed video chatting with Pacifica, and Pacifica was just finishing up telling her about her day. 

“And then I dropped the guy down straight in front of Blubbs & Durland, told the firefighters how & where to find my father. After that I flew back to the Mansion, taking several back routes.”

“Sounds like you had fun, Paz.” Mabel said looking at the joy on her friend's face.

“Oh, it was, like, awesome.” Pacifica saw Mabel lean forward and tap a few buttons before a sticker appeared on the bottom corner of her screen saying “You're a Super-Star!”

“Ok, that was corny even for you, Mabs.” Pacifica snicked at the joke the sticker made. “And I heard I have you to thank for getting my old room refurbished.” 

“Well the girls and I thought you might like to have a place you could go to get away from your parents for awhile when things get rough. We were gonna do it at the Shack, but really that's one of the first places your dad would look for you anymore. And after the whole power circle incident we knew your dad would never think to look for you a McGucket's.” Mabel said with a smile, before she added in a Dipper like near whisper, “Probably the best part of this week so far.” 

“What?” Pacifica asked as she barely heard her.

“It's not been a good week at all,” Mabel said, losing all of her normal cheerfulness. “it's been hell.” she then started to break down and cry.

“Whoa Mabel, what's wrong? Don't try to keep it held in, remember you're the one who taught me that. So com'on, spill.”

“It's *sob* been a terrible week so far.” Mabel started as she tried to calm down enough to talk. “Remember the three bullies from school?” she saw Pacifica nod so she continued. “Well they weren't at school Monday and as we walked home we found out why. We stopped at lil store to get snacks and the clerk had a TV on, there was a news report about a series of fires. I recognized one of them as Jimmy's place.”

“Oh no, how bad was it?” 

“Th, there were three fires. Jimmy, Lumps, and Tyson's houses were burned down. No survivors. 11 lost. And then Dip did one of the most stupidly idiotic things ever, he tried to break off with Wendy before they ever got started.”

“Wait, he tried to what? He's been crazy about her since you guys were first up here.” Pacifica said with a shocked look on her face.

“Well with it being 3 fires that just happened to hit the three people tormenting us, he was wondering if her 'otherside' knew anything about it. After she swore to him she didn't he got flustered with himself and nearly hung up on her with out waiting for her to finish saying bye. Knowing something was wrong she came by to check on hm and at first he refused to talk to her. Finally she got him to talk and he tried to break everything off saying she deserved better than him.” Mabel Said as she remember the night.

“Selfish.” Pacifica muttered.

Not completely registering what she said, Mabel continued. “After she asked him why, he said he had betrayed her twice now. This time by even remotely believing she could be involved in the fires and an earlier time, while we were all trapped in my bubble. It had the power to offer everyone their greatest wish, well guess his. But he saw through it and rejected it. But he still felt as if the fact he was even tempted was a betrayal. She didn't know about that part of the bubble and actually felt even more honored that he was able to resist the temptation because he was offered a perfect version but he still wanted the real her. During this time he had punched the side of one of his bookcases twice. After the two punches he had almost broke it.”

“What? Scrawny lil Dipper nearly broke a wooden board. Whoa.” Pacifica remarked 

“Well remember Grunkle Stan had him chopping wood all summer and that built his arms up a lil bit. Plus he's been working out some even before we started the Defense classes. But back to the story, Wendy stopped him from a third punch. After hearing the noise from the punches I had to tell dad that Dip had stubbed his toe. Wendy finally broke through to him and instead of waiting till we're up there for Thanksgiving, she told him that she loved him and they kissed. And that's been the only bright point.”

“Ok, what else happened?” Pacifica said wishing she could reach through the screen and hug her friend. 

“Well Tuesday, a lot of people were shocked about the fires and well had a school forum about it, there were grief councilors available and we went ahead and each saw one. About a half hour after we got home we were visited by a pair of police detectives, someone had show them the videos. At first dad didn't want us talking to them without a lawyer, but we knew hadn't done anything so we went ahead and talked to them. We were initially told it was only a formality, but they kept digging in trying to find out if we were home all night. Dad finally show them our security system and gave them access to find out that after he armed it no one had had left the house or turned off the alarm till we went to school. They actually thought we had done it.” Mabel said looking as if she was gonna break down again.

“Well, I know you didn't do it and so do you.” Pacifica said as she held up her hand so it would look like she was trying to hold her friends hand. Mabel returned the gesture. “Ok, enough of the depressing stuff, how's your defense training going? Are you guys gonna continue?”

Mabel cheered up a bit at the change of subject, “Oh, yeah. Dipper is already blocking nearly every punch thrown at him at the speed Unka Cowboy is allowing us. It's a bit frustrating though cause I swear he is intentionally taking those punches he's missing, like he's wanting to toughen himself up.” This last line caused her smile to slip a bit. 

'Ok, I'm gonna have to talk to that doofus. He's worrying her too much.' Pacifica thought as she looked at her normally perpetually smiling friend. “Well, how about you?” 

“Unka Cowboy, wants me to work more on dodging due to my speed. I'm only supposed to block every fourth punch. I usually am able to dodge most and the ones I don't really can barely even be called a glancing blow as they usually hit my clothes and not me. Unka cowboy says we're both about ready to move up the next speed. Speaking of speed I'm blowing Dipper away when were running, really leaving him in the dust.”

Mabel said happy again to have something she's better at than Dipper. “But when we get to endurance I don't stand a chance. Monday, because of the fight on Friday we just ran and did simple exercises. Dipper ran the track almost full out for nearly 35 minutes. It was almost unreal. All that running in the woods made him a secret track star.” Her smile is now almost completely back to normal.

“Heh, right. Dipper Pines, jock.” Pacifica laughed at the thought and after a moment Mabel joined her.

“Alright, one more question for ya Mabs. What can you tell me about those Offenders the guy at the plant compared me to?” Pacifica asked after they were done laughing.

Mabel started in on the movie Dipper had dragged the family to as his welcome home gift, hers was a trip to play mini golf. She went on talking about the plot for a bit while Pacifica just listened.

**Dipper's room**

Dipper was also staring at his computer, but he was finishing up running an encryption/decryption program Tambry had written for both sets of the Pines twins. It was decrypting an E-mail from Grunkle Ford.

_To: Dippingsauce@Scholnick.tv_  
From: Collaredpoindexter@GFcable.tv  
RE: Family Expansion 

_Hi Dipper,_

_We have received the E-Mails from both Soos and you two. Stan and I have place a call in to the Shack and worked out a possible solution. Seeing as we're saying I had went on an extended sabbatical in Tibet. We're gonna have the new twins be my illegitimate grandsons from a girlfriend while I was at Backupsmore University. She left to join a commune and I never knew I was a father. Just before she died she told I was his father and he was hunting me down when an accident happened. I'm the boys only living grandparent, so they came to gravity falls to live with me. We're gonna dock early and get back to Gravity Falls to set up this con as Stanley called it. Between him and your friend Tambry's hacking skills we should be able to pull this off perfectly._  
_I am also looking forward to studying the petrified basilisk. I also heard that Wendy has encountered a Leshy and a pair of Rusulkii. I'm interested in what they are doing so far from home. We'll definitely be doing some journal work while we're all there._  
_See you shortly,_  
_Ford_

_PS. Stan says to tell you it looks like he finally got you tough enough. You also seemed to inherit his right hook according to the videos Mabel sent to him._

“Mabel!”, Dipper yelled as he started closing down the decryption program.

**Mabel's room**

“Well it sounds like he finally read the E-mail from the Grunkles. I'm gonna get going,” Mabel said with a mischievous smirk, “Sweat dreams when you get to them, Paz.”

“You too,” Pacifica responded. She didn't see Mabel's smile become a little sadder at the response. 

Mabel shut the screen as she tried to figure out where that little twinge came from over such a common phrase.

**Mystery Shack Tuesday November 6th, 2012  
Tony  & Francis's room**

“Well bro, you ready to get this picture taken to send to our 'cousins'.” Tony asked as he was picking up the phone he got while they were out with the girls finishing up the changes needed, and taking a picture.

“Ok, I guess.” Francis replied as he was blinking the flash out of his eyes. “It just feels weird to look at you and not see a mirror any more.” 

“Yet you had no trouble taking advice from your new girlfriend right?” Tony teased now that he knows which of the girls his brother liked. 

“It's not like that, uhm, she's just my friend.” Francis said as he shuffled his feet. “She was right though. Since we're to be their cousins we can't look exactly like Dipper.” 

“Good thing you remembered where the growth crystals were, a few specific shots and there are enough differences for us to be fraternal twins. And since we somehow both lost the birthmark it helps.” Tony added, “It also means since we're no longer clones, we need to start living our own lives and personalities.” 

“You didn't use the crystal to make yourself taller did you?” Francis asked as he realized he was actually looking up at his brother.

“No, I figured being the same height would be ok, why?” he asked before realizing he was taller than Francis. “Ok, How did that happen?”

**Piedmont, California Wednesday November 7th, 2012  
OSW Training Gym**

“Ok, Jacob time to pick up the pace. And start alternating between different styles of punches.” Wildbill said as he watched his godchildren train. “Patrick, switch over to grabs.” 

“I've been meaning to ask,” Dipper started as was working to keep up the new pace, “Aren't you and Patrick supposed to be working on your wrestling training?”

“No problems, man. The time we're here helping you we're doing of on our own time. After seeing those jerks try to attack you two, Patrick and I decided we wouldn't be happy if we couldn't do something to help. So helping with your training is what we've decided on doing, brah.” The big Polynesian teenager said as he continued throwing various punches at his little friend. Dipper had finally started dodging some once the pace had been picked up. 

Meanwhile Mabel was now dodging between punches and attempts to grab her. Finally on the last attempted grab, without thinking she instead grabbed Patrick's arm and using his momentum pulled him into a monkey flip like Dipper had used in the fight last week. “Whoa, I wasn't expecting that!” Mabel said after she realized what she had done. “You ok, Patrick?”

“Yeah, I be better with a little more waning though, Chica.” Patrick replied as he was getting up. She offered him a hand as an apology.

A loud blast of Eighty's synthesized music blasted from Mabel's jacket, recognizing the tone she ran over to grab it.

“So Dipper, I heard you and the red head, Wendy's her name right, have finally figured stuff out.” Patrick said to distract Dipper. 

“Wait, what. Ouch,” Dipper said as he turned his attention away from Jacob for just a moment. Jacob stopped after the one hit so he could hear the whole story, “Where did, never mind.” He looked at his sister and then smiled looking at his new friends, “Yeah, we talked over some stuff Monday and are gonna work things out better a week from Friday when the family heads up for thanksgiving week. We don't want to rush things at all.” 

“Good for you, little man,” Wildbill said putting a big hand on Dipper's shoulder. 

“Hey Unka Cowboy, guys, you want to see a picture of our new cousins we're gonna get to meet over Thanksgiving week.” Mabel said as she ran over to the group.

“New cousins, uhm, I know your dad and mom were only children so, How?” Wildbill said as she came closer. 

“Well our Grunkle Ford apparently had a child in college he didn't know about till he got back from his Sabbatical. The girlfriend dropped out of school and went hippie moving to a commune and never telling him before he went away. He found a letter from her in some old paperwork at the Mystery Shack and reached out to them. They met as he and Grunkle Stan went east to start their voyage. Unfortunately their parents died over the last week, so they moved to Gravity Falls to live with him.” Dipper replied with the story that the whole group have came together to practice and smooth out. 

“Whoa, that's rough. But family is family. Glad to hear you guys are talking.” Jacob said after Dipper was finished.

“Why haven't I heard about them from your dad.” Wildbill said shaking his head at the tragedy of losing all of your family like that.

“Well, silly, that's cause dad doesn't know yet. We only know from a few E-mails and a phone call from our Grunkles. With mom and dad always wanting more extended family, we all decided to surprise them. We only found out last night they're in Gravity Falls.” Mabel said holding up her neon bedazzled phone. “Tony is on the left and Francis is on the right. The family seems to have pulled a good deal on twins as they're fraternal twins.” 

Dipper looked at the picture almost as intently as his godfather and friends. Tony was now sporting a red Mohawk, an earring, a gray t-shirt with a punk-style skull on it, ripped black jeans, and cowboy boots. Francis now had slicked back black hair, wire-rim glasses (probably with fake lenses), a brown button up polo shirt, od green cargo pants, and tennis shoes. There where also some minor cosmetic differences: Tony's ears were smaller, Francis had a little bit bigger nose, and something else he couldn't really put his hands on. 

“I can see some family resemblance there, brah.” Jacob said as he attempted to slap Dipper on the back, only for Dipper to move out of the way and Jacob ended up slapping Wildbill's arm as his hand fell from Dipper's shoulder. Jacob shot Dipper a dirty look that you can tell had no malice behind it. 

“Well then, that's enough of a break. Take them on over to the bags to work on their punches.” Wildbill said as he turned away and then smiled.

**Piedmont, California Thursday November 15th, 2012 8:45 PM.  
Dipper's room**

“Well man, this time tomorrow you'll be up here and I can see you in person and give you a big ol hug.” Wendy said from Dipper's computer screen.

“Yeah, I can't wait to see you too.” Dipper said with a big silly grin on his face. 

“Dude, you're making that face again,” Wendy said laughing and smiling back at him.

“Can you blame me, I have the sweetest girlfriend and she's beautiful to boot.” Dipper said and smiled a little more as he saw her blush.

“Alright quit it, man.” Wendy said as she looked away for a moment. In the back ground Dipper heard Manly Dan yell for Wendy to help him find his remote before he got stuck watching a Roller Derby match. “Alright Dad, I be down in a moment. Sorry Dip, I'll see you tomorrow. Be careful, you're important to me.” 

“You too.” he said and waited for her to log off before he shut his computer down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is finally. This was a frustrating chapter to write. Not due to any story issues, but due to computer issues. I initially planned on this chapter to be twice as long, I had through the end of the of the Mabel/Pacifica conversation plus another E-mail between Tony and Mabel done when my Libreoffice froze in the middle of writing it. I would swear up and down I had been saving every couple of paragraphs, but when I reopened the file all I had all I had was the Chapter 18 heading. Argh. And then when I was half way through rewriting the above conversation when my computer decided to freeze. Luckily this time I only lost a sentence or two. Ugh. Well besides all this complaining, I hope everybody enjoys this chapter. The next Chapter we are finally back in Gravity Falls and the new storyline begins. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.  
> 9-6 20-8-5 5-14-5-13-25 15-6 13-25 5-14-5-13-25 9-19 13-25 6-18-9-5-14-4, 23-8-1-20 4-15 25-15-21 3-1-12-12 20-8-5 6-18-9-5-14-4 15-6 13-25 5-14-5-13-25?


	19. Chapter 19

** Chapter 19 **

**Gravity Falls Friday November 16th, 2012 9:30 AM  
Open Arms Motel**

“Welcome to the Open Arms Motel, best stay Gravity Falls has to offer, my name is Sam how can I help you today?”, the gentleman behind the counter says as he greets his customers. He's in the yellow t-shirt with the American flag on it.

“I will be requiring two singles for my grandson and I, for at least a week if not longer.” the regal looking woman said as was checking the area out. 

“Grandson, ma'am? Why you don't look old enough to have a child, let alone a grandchild.” Sam said as he tried to butter up the customer. He's always believed if you keep the customers happy you've done a good job, plus some innocent flattery can led to good tips. 

“I'm not here for your bumbling attempts at flattery, Sam. I just need the rooms.” Turning the woman appears to be in her mid- to late fifties, she pulls her hand up and taps a finger on her chin, “Hmm. Sam, Sam. Your last name isn't Tilley, is it?”

“Yes ma'am, how'd you know that?” Sam said as he stopped typing the room rental into his computer. 

“Well, I used to live in Gravity Falls for awhile a couple of decades ago and I remembered Jeremy Tilley had a brown haired son named Sam. Putting 2 & 2 together, I thought I'd ask. How is old Jeremy?” She asked as she turned around.

“Well dad has been dead for a couple of years now.” Sam responded as a bit of memory pf his father came to mind.

“Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss.” the lady placing a calming hand on his shoulder

“Thank you.”, Sam said as he turned back to the computer, “I'll need your information and a credit card.”

She hands over the credit card and a California driver's license.

“Alright, Mrs. Ruperts. You have room 211 & 212\. They're up the stairs and down the hall on your left.” Sam said as he gave her two keys and then sat back down. “Have a good stay.”

Mrs Rupertss headed out of the office and back to the black car where her grandson waited, “Alright James, grab our bags. We're upstairs.” 

James, a shaggy haired blond haired kid who at 4'10” stood nearly a foot shorter than his grandmother, grabbed a backpack, two duffel bags, and a rolling suitcase. He then followed her up the stairs 

Once they got upstairs he turned to her and said, “Well 'grandmother', is it in his family or not?”

“No James, our search continues.” Mrs. Ruperts said as she opened up one of the duffel bags and pulled out a brown leather bound mystical tome.

**Piedmont, California 11:25 AM  
Nancy Reagan Middle School**

“Now remember students. The building will be closed for the whole Thanksgiving Vacation, so please take home all perishables from your lockers. and I hope everyone has a pleasant vacation.” the vice principal is saying over the intercom.

“So, Mabel. What is your family doing for Thanksgiving?” one of Mabel's classmates asked as everyone, including Miss Maisey watched the clock count down.

“We're going up to Oregon to visit my Grunkles.” Mabel said as it felt like the clock was going so slow it was going backwards. “It'll be the first time the whole family has been together since grandpa Shermie passed away.”

Two other girls behind Mabel starting talking about their vacation plans and finally the bell went off. Mabel had her bag and was one of the first ones out of class. She beat Dipper to their lockers by almost a minute. She grabbed the 'Venkman's Guide' out of her locker and as she did a necklace fell off of the top of it. She caught it before it hit the ground. It was a Shooting Star attached to a silver-esque chain. But there was something different about the star, it wasn't your normal five point star. She then saw the note laying on the book.

  


_To one of the sweetest girls in school,_

_I saw this necklace at the store and it reminded me of my favorite sweater of yours. Please accept this as a token of admiration for someone willing to stand up for those in need._

_An Admirer_

“Well that's sweet.” She said to herself as she folded up the note. 

“What's sweet?” Dipper said as he walked up to his locker. 

“Oh, I've got an admirer. You're not the only one getting attention from the videos I guess. So how many have you turned down now, 20? 25?”, Mabel asked.

“32, including one of the lunch ladies trying to set me up with the freshman niece.” Dipper said as he shook his head. More than a couple of those hadn't even looked at him till Mabel had told a few of her friends that he was now off of the market. 

Happy she deflected the his attention away from her admirer and the necklace, she puts it on. “Ow!” she said as she jerked her finger away from the clasp that had apparently caught her finger tip. She stuck her finger in her mouth to soothe it and tasted copper. 'Man, it cut her.'

“You ok, Mabs?” Dipper asked as he saw her sucking her finger. She the small cut he grabbed the first aid kit he kept in his locker and pulled out the antiseptic gel and a finger tip bandage and fixed her right up. They were both distracted enough they didn't see the necklace glow softly or hear the skittering coming from the vent grate above their locker. 

They headed out the front door to find their dad waiting on them.

**Pines family home 12:06 PM**

“Alright is everybody ready?” Adam Pines asked after he had put his two bags in the back of the SUV. 

He then watched Mabel bring out her two bags and place them into the back of the SUV and run back to grab Waddles and a back pack with she put by her seat. 'I bet one of them is full of craft supplies.' he thought looking at his little girl. Dipper followed her out soon after with a back pack that looked heavy as he was balancing himself with the two large duffel bags he had in his hands, after putting them in the SUV he quickly ran back and grabbed two more Duffel bags that he put in the back and a small back pack he sat next to his seat. Finally he grabbed a cat carrier and brought it out. 'Ok, last time we sent them up their for the whole summer and he only took a back pack and two small duffel bags full of clothes. This time we're only going for a week and I think he brought everything but the bathroom sink.” 

“Elaine, you coming?” he yelled for his wife as the kids got into the back seats. Not hearing a response he walked over to the door to try and ask again, only for her to come out looking a little disheartened. He asked, “What's wrong honey?”

“I'm not gonna be able to head up with you guys today.” Elaine Pines said looking at her husband and kids who had jumped back out of the SUV and ran over to their mother, “Janice, Martinique, and Elizabeth all came down with the flu. I'm the next Nurse Supervisor in line, so they called me in. I've got to work at least through Monday. You guys go ahead and head up with out me. I've got the coupe to get to work in, I'll take it up as soon as I can.” 

“What, they can't do that mom. I wanted you to meet Grenda, Candy, and Pacifica tonight not next week.” Mabel said hugging her mother's leg.

“Honey, I know. I'll be up there as soon as I can. Don't worry.” This was breaking her heart, but she hugged her daughter back.

“I understand mom, sometimes work has to come first. It seems the ER can't run with out you sometimes.” Dipper said just holding his mother's hand. “Get up there soon. I have friends I want you to meet also.” 

“Especially a certain one,” Mabel whispered earning her a dirty look from Dipper.

“Thank you Dipper. Still being the grown up, huh.” She pulled him into a hug.

“Some one has to,” Dipper says, “ow.” he's rubbing his arm where he let Mabel just hit him, no way he was gonna dodge and risk her hitting mom. 

“You know there's times I hate your job.” Adam says as he hugs her.

“I know honey, but it's a job that needs to be done.” She says as she hugs him back and gives him a kiss. “I'll make it as fast as I can, but for now you take the kids up so they can be with their friends and you can reconnect with your Uncles. Love you honey.”

“I love you too.” he gives her one more kiss and loads the kids back into the SUV. 

She watched them drive off before heading in to get ready for work. 

**Gravity Falls 3:30 PM  
Mystery Shack.**

“Ok, one last time how are we gonna get things situated?” Stan said as he was watching everyone prepare the Welcome Back party.

“Well Mr. Pines,” Soos said from a ladder as he and Wendy hung up a banner. “The twins will be back in their room, you've got the office, Ford has his basement, the other twins have the Wax Figure room, Melody is gonna be in my room,” Soos blush at that one, as much as he has tried to mature since taking over the shack he still reverts to his old attitude around Stan, “and the parents are gonna go, uhm.” 

“I've got that covered,” Ford said as he came out of the basement. He motioned for Stan to follow him out the back door. Once he was a certain distance away he set down the small box he was carrying and stood back pulling Stan with him. Once he was back he push a button on a remote he pulled from his pocket. They watched as the box seemed to unfold pulling mass from seemingly nothingness. Once it was done there was a building about the size of an efficiency apartment with a bathroom, two armchairs, and a queen size bed. The Stan twins stepped inside and it like it was a steady but noticeable temperature difference on the inside. 

“Ok, Sixxer. You had this the entire time we were gone yet we slept in ether a tent or cheap hotels when ever we were on land. This would've been perfect when we had to port in Greenland. The only thing we would have need would be a camp stove and a close laundry mat.” Stan said while looking around.

“This was a prototype I made on the otherside, I wasn't sure how well it would work in this dimension. I spent most of last night making sure it would be stable here. Before now there was a chance it would have pulled everything with in 30 feet of it into a dimensional vortex and disappear with it.” Ford said nonchalantly. 

“Jumpin jiminy, why in the world would you build this with that kind of risk after the portal incident?” Stan said as he grabbed Ford's shoulders.

“Well actually, I built it during the portal incident. And this one is nothing like the portal, this time I've made a small pocket in the space/time fabric with help from a, heh, friend of the twins that I met elsewhen.” Ford said as he looked into Stan's eyes, “Trust me. It is completely safe, if you want more reassurance ask the kids about Globnar and it's prize.” Ford then tucked the remote in his pocket and headed towards the main bulding. 

**Piedmont, California 6:15 PM  
Eastwood High School**

“And at half time it appears that our Eastwood Drifters are up 14 -0 over Oakland's McKee High Panthers. There will be a fifteen minute intermission, so go ahead and stretch your legs everybody.” The announcer broadcast over the fields PA system. And the crowds milled around the stands as the teams head off to there respective locker rooms.

“Alright guys, you're doing good out there but we did have the one sack that nearly cost us. Jacob where were you, your head doesn't look like you are in the game tonight.” Eastwood's coach was saying once the team all made it into the locker. 

“Sorry coach, I was distracted. Won't happen again!” Jacob said as he tried to focus on the game plans on the board but something he thought he saw in the crowds had him bothered. He would've sworn he saw Dipper in the crowd, but the little guy is supposed to almost be up in the Oregon by now.

“Come on, Jacob. Get your head in the game amigo.” Patrick said as he walked over to his friend.

“I know man, but some flashed a mirror at the line and when I looked over at the direction it came from I swear I saw Dipper.” Jacob whispered back.

“What, no way. Dip and Mabs are nearly to their Grunkle's place. I talked to them around one, reminding them to keep practicing while they were up there. Their mom had to stay behind for work, but they're gone. Probably just someone from McKee's little brother.” Patrick said while still watching the board, they were covering the offensive plays now anyways. 

“Oh, you're right. And when you're right, you're right. And you - you're always right.” Jacob said chuckling as he quoted a favorite classic of his. 

“You know that makes you Barf right?”, Patrick had to fight to keep from laughing.

“But I am my own best friend” Jacob responded and caused Patrick to bust a gut right at the end of the game plans.

**Gravity Falls 8:20 PM  
Mystery Shack**

“Alright guys, they just drove past the 'Welcome To Gravity Falls' sign so they should be here anytime,” Wendy said as she looked up from her phone. Most of her crew were working tonight and planned on seeing the twins tomorrow sometime, leaving her & Tambry. 

“Sheez Wendy. I know it's been a few months since we've seen them in person,” Tambry said as her friend seemed a little more nervous than usual, “well most of us at least. Wait a minute, you've decided to go for it haven't you?”

“Too late,” Wendy was surprised she had been able to keep it from Tambry this long. “I kissed him Monday.”

“Wait, what?” Tambry said as she started to pull out her phone to start a new blog post.

“Not yet, Tambers. We want to make sure it's cool with the circle here first. We don't want to ruffle feathers, especially his parents.” Wendy could care less about what anyone else would think it's their, ok his parents she's worried about, “Dad may give him the riot act, but he's already called him a man a few times when he didn't think I could hear him. Especially after 'All That'.” She added the air quotes for emphasis.

“Ah, ok.” Tambry said looking at her lifelong friend. “I'll respect that.”

“Thanks,” Wendy said before looking out the window after seeing headlights, seeing the SUV she turns and shouts, “They're here guys.” 

They all stand around watching the gift shop door. As soon as they see the bright pink sweater open the door everyone yells “Welcome back.” 

As soon as she's through the door Mabel tossed the bags she was carrying off to the side and ran to her girls and got into a big group hug. She then ran to her Grunkles and gave them a hug. 

Dipper was next and calmly sat his two duffels next to Mabel's and went over to the Stans and gave them a hug. Next he fist bumped Soos before hugging him and Melody. Finally he walked over to Wendy and gave her the longest hug of the group. 

As Adam came in Stan walked over and gave him a hug before taking him to meet his other uncle. 

While Mabel took her bags upstairs, Soos and Wendy helped the Dipper get the rest of the bags out of the SUV. Dipper watched Soos try to grab the back pack before he realized how heavy it was. He then walked over and slid the straps over his shoulders and lifted with his legs. Soos looked amazed. 

“It's all in the legs.” Dipper said as he walked up to the stairs acting confident in front of Wendy before nearly falling over at the steps. Tony reached out and grabbed him before he fell over as he and Francis came out to help. 

“No need to fall over squirt.” The Mohawked near teen said as he helped pull Dipper on up the deck. “Good to meet you, I'm Tony and this is Francis. We're your cousins.” he said just loud enough that Adam should be able to hear if he was paying attention. 

Taking the cue Dipper exclaimed, “Cousins, but dad's an only child.”

Adam heard that exclamation and stepped outside, “I know son, I just found out. They're your Grunkle Ford's grandkids. He said he'd tell us more about it in the morning.” 

After everything was inside Adam locked the car and grabbed his bags, “So Stan, Ford, Where's my stuff go?” 

The Stans led out to the separate room and then gave him the key. “We rented a portable Micro Hotel Room for the week. You have your own bathroom but all the food is inside.”

“You guys didn't have to do this.” He said hugging his uncles. 

“Hey, we didn't want to interrupt you and the missus while you're on vacation. This way you two have some privacy once she can get back off work. It's a shame she couldn't come straight up with you guys.” Stan said looking at his nephew. “What'd ya say the three of us hit the lake for some fishing tomorrow. It'll give the kids a chance to get to know each other and catch up with their friends.” 

“That'll be good.” Adam said as they went back inside. 

After awhile the party started to die down. Soos had taken the Grenda & Candy home with them planning a sleepover tomorrow night at Candy's with Mabel & Pacifica. And Tambry dropped Pacifica off before heading home herself. The Clondike twins were getting grilled by Mabel over which one of her friends Francis liked as she went into matchmaker mode, much to Francis's chagrin. Francis quickly excused himself to go help Melody clean up. Adam didn't see Dipper or the Wendy girl to whom he seemed glued to hip. 

“Mabel dear, do you know where your brother went?”, Adam asked his daughter as she continued her pursuit of romance for her friends She quickly with out even stopping her questioning pointed up to the roof.

“Huh?” Adam asked.

“Here I'll show you”, Tony said thinking he found a way out of her questioning, he walked over to the curtain hiding the ladder and pointed up to the trap door. As soon as Adam headed up Tony turned around right into Mabel. “You know you get so cute when you're this tenacious.”

“What!” Mabel said stepping back. “Ooh, ugh.”

Taking this opening Tony quickly left to get to his & Francis's room before saying to the weirded out Mabel, “Oh, don't worry cuz. I only said that to get you off my back.” and he quickly shut the door behind himself. 'Let Francis deal with her. I need a break.” 

**Rooftop Relaxation Spot**

Adam is taking care to walk gingerly over the roof of the building then he sees to lawn chairs and a cooler. Dipper and Wendy were sitting on the edge of the roof with his arm around her and her head on top of his. Adam pulled his phone out and took a picture. He sent it to Elaine with the message 'I think I've found out why Dipper has been wanting to get back up here and maybe why he has been standing up for himself more. :-) ' 

'They're pretty cute together,' Adam thought as he went back down stairs.

**Piedmont, California 10:30 PM  
Heritage Memorial Hospital ER**

“Help nurse, friend is hurt. He fell off his motorcycle. I got him here as fast as I could.” The teenager said as he helped bring in a guy in red leather pants into the ER.

“Elaine, call Dr Wilkens stat.” the charge nurse said she and an orderly helped the injured man to the back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well all here is another installment of Gravity Heroes. The twins are now in Gravity Falls, but the drama is not done in Piedmont. I did some research on Piedmont before working the football game in the story, wanting to not use real name for the school (ala the created Eggbert Elementary in the show), so yes Eastwood High is named after a former resident of Piedmont, California. And the team name is another hint. Two new characters were introduced at the start of the story, now are they gonna be friends or foes. Also it looks like Adam approves so far. The Clondike twins are staring to develop their own personalities: Tony is gonna be more of the Confident Dipper from “Roadside Attraction" mixed with Stan's gruffness, and Francis is gonna be based more on Dipper before he got his confidence he gained while being around Wendy. But both are still gonna be their own people other than just Dipper clones. 
> 
> Thanks to my computer I lost work again, luckily it was only the last line and all of my A/N. :-| I may have had more but I've forgotten it.
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Two chapters up
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.  
> 9-20 9-19 20-18-1-7-5-4-25 20-8-1-20 13-1-11-5-19 15-18 2-18-5-1-11-19 1 8-5-18-15.


	20. Chapter 20

** Chapter 20 **

Mabel is running along the ridges of a mountain path, she doesn't know why but for some reason she feels compelled to continue forward. There doesn't seem to be anyone following her, but something is urging her on anyways. Always somewhere behind her she felt a presence she feels like she hasn't felt since the summer, but it also feels as if it's been with her for a long while.

She turned the corner and came across a cave that feels so familiar. As she nears the mouth of the cave she sees a book laying on the ground in front of her As she picks up the book she hears from all around her:

_“Nzyvo Krmvh, irhv. Blei kldvih ziv ivzwb gl yv ivovzhvw, urmw nv dsviv dv ozhg ovug luu zmw r'oo szmw luu blfi ovtzxb!”_

 

**Gravity Falls Saturday November 17th, 2012 4:30 AM  
Mystery Shack  
Twins Room**

“Ahhhhhh!” Mabel screams as she wakes from her nightmare, well no not a nightmare but definitely not a dream either.

Hearing her Dipper is at her side in an instant, “You ok, Mabel?” 

“Yeah, I think so, Dip” Mabel said clutching something to her chest as he talked to her after Dipper seemed certain that she was actually ok, he went back to his side of the room and laid back down. It was at this point she finally brought the item away from her chest. It was a purple hardback with two hearts on it. Why is she sleeping with a book, it's not like she spends her nights reading till she passes out like her brother does sometimes. It looks like a Pick Up book that she vaguely remembered giving to the Hand Witch over the summer. Remembering that, why is the book in her hands? After she lays the book on her night stand she turns on to her side, completely missing the faint glow coming from her necklace & the book.

**Piedmont, California 4:40 am  
Heritage Memorial Hospital ER**

“Elaine, are you in here?” a nurse asks as she come's into the ER pod room. “Elaine!”

The nurse rushes over to where she saw Elaine laying on the floor of the empty ER pod. 

**Gravity Falls 8:30 AM  
Mystery Shack  
Twins Room**

“Wake up sleepy head,” Mabel yells at her brother as she pounces on his bed.

“What, Mabel?” a heavily groggy Dipper said as he's processing whats going on, “What are you doing in my room?”

“Come on Dippingsauce, we're back in Gravity Falls, we're sharing a room again.” Mabel responded to her silly brother.

“Gravity Falls, yes!” Dipper said waking up enough to remember where they were. He threw off his sheets so hard and fast he nearly threw Mabel off of the bed with them. 

“Slow down lover boy, Wendy's not here yet.” Mabel teased Dipper as she untangled herself from his blankets. She marveled as for once he grabbed his clothes and made it into the bathroom before she had the chance. Having them together may have another positive side.

While he was busy Mabel went about grabbing her clothes for the day, choosing black leggings, a denim skirt, and a light green sweater with an autumn tree on and a hand warmer/pocket on the front. She also grabbed a matching light green headband. As she was getting ready to head out she felt the need to grab the book off of her night stand and slid it into the pocket.

**Corduroy House  
Wendy's room**

After slapping her alarm off for the 10th time, Wendy finally decided to brave the world and get up for the day. She grabs a change of clothes and heads into the bathroom to get a shower. After she gets done she starts to head down stairs to start breakfast only to realize she was smelling pancakes. Remembering the last time her dad tried to make anything more complicated than microwavable oatmeal she ran down the stairs to keep the house from burning down. As she turned into the kitchen expecting to see her father she ran into Mayor Tyler.

“Oh hi, Wendy. How are you this morning?” Tyler asked as he continued to cook and stack flap jacks.

“Uhm, good.” Wendy responded, “What are you doing here sir?” 

“Well after another late night at The Skull Fracture your dad wasn't in any condition to make it home by himself so I helped hm home. It was so late and I was tired so I crashed on your sofa. Knowing the big guy I figured I get some pancakes going for everybody.”

“Thanks,” Wendy said as she walked up and took one of the smaller stacks of pancakes and headed over to a chair in the living room and grabbed a tray table. 'Well I knew they were great friends…'

She devoured the pancakes and thanked Tyler again before yelling up stairs, “Dad, I'm off to work.” and with that she headed off to the Shack. 

**Mystery Shack  
Kitchen**

“Well, what's everyone's plans for the day?” Ford asked as he brought over a stack of waffles to the table.

Seeing his dad wasn't up yet Dipper replied “Wendy and I are gonna go check on stuff at the Bunker, I want to see if there was any other issues with the trophy case and our visitor.”

“I'm gonna hang out with my girls tonight but I may go for a walk and pay some respect at the Uni-circle.” Mabel said not realizing the worried looks she was getting from the table.

“No, plans here, so you want someone to come with you?” Tony asked getting a thankful glance from the Grunkles and Dipper.

“Sounds good, gives me a chance to get to know one of my 'cousins'.” Mabel said with the added air quotes. 

Francis adds, “Just planning on staying around here and helping Soos if he needs it.” while grabbing one of the waffles he also thinks with a mild blush on his cheeks, 'And I'll be here if the girls come looking for Mabel. Maybe I can get a good conversation going with Candy.'

“Well kids, sounds like everyone is gonna be busy, so I take it no one wants to go fishing with Ford, Adam, and I then.” Stan said around a mouth full of waffle, “Your loss.” 

“Dood, do I smell waffles?” Soos said as he walked into the kitchen.

**Northwest Manor  
Breakfast nook**

“And I learned from the investigators that the gentleman was apparently a former employee who for some reason upset with me, he is expected to go to trial next month after they decide if he is competent to stand trial. I mean he attacked a Northwest so there must be something wrong with him but I'll see that he gets to the trial.” Preston Northwest was saying over the quail eggs Benedict. 

“Well maybe if you hadn't, like, fired a quarter of the staff at the plant, you wouldn't have so many enemies dad.” Pacifica said as she picked at her food. 

“Pacifica Elise Northwest, you will not talk to you father like that.” Priscilla admonished

“What mom, I'm just telling the truth. This man may have lost family or his house due to this. I figured you two would now have some decency and compassion after what happened after Weirdmageddon. But I guess I was wrong.” Pacifica said glaring, upset at her parents for not growing the way she had hoped.

“Pacifica,” her father said pulling out a golden bell.

As soon as she saw it, Pacifica got up out her chair and walked right over to her father and slapped the bell out of his hand. She then lifted her foot and smashed the bell as hard as she could. 

After she was done she headed to the door and turned to her parents.“I'm gonna grab some stuff and spend the night at a friends, don't look for me.”

**Mystery Shack  
Front porch**

Dipper was sitting on the porch going over his notes on the Basilisk and the Leshy while waiting on Wendy to show up. 

“Hey dork,” Wendy said as she stepped up on the porch

“Hey princess,” he called back as he got up and met her after a hug he gave her a quick kiss before she stood back up straight. 

“Well you ready to go take an inventory?” She said as the blush rose over her cheeks. 

“Yeah, he said putting his journal in the inner pocket of his coat and then takes her hand and they walk off into the forest. 

**Gravity Falls Forest  
Mystic Glade**

“Were you wanting to raise it up or just stand here and stare?” Tony asked as he stood by and watched Mabel kneel down at the edge of the stone ring.

“I'm paying respect, we may not have been friends but they were still living creatures worthy of the respect all life deserves.” Mabel said with her head hung low.

“Whoa, deep. I never thought you'd be one so philosophically bent.” Tony said, even though he had Dip's memories from up till the time Tony was born he really doesn't remember her being this deep. 

“It is good to hear you say that child,” they hear a lilting voice say from over in the forest edge.

They both turn and Mabel exclaims “Celestabellebethabelle, you're alive.” 

Mabel runs up and hugs the Unicorn even though they were barely on speaking terms the last time they met. Through watering eyes she said, “I'm so sorry about your friends, I wish I had been able to be here to try to help you. You guys were jerks, but not bad enough for this.” 

“Thank you again child, I'm actually here as a favor for the one who has hidden me from the White Rider and his liege.”, Celestabellebethabelle said as she stood partially hidden still by the woods surrounding them. “She wishes to see you and help you along your way.” 

“Whoa, there. I Have no idea who you are but you're not taking Mabel anywhere,” Tony said as he stepped in between Mabel and the unicorn, he was brandishing a fallen tree branch that was almost the same size as himself. 

Craning her neck to see around him, Celestabellebethabelle said. “Be still, manling. My hostess only wishes to speak to Mabel. No harm shall befall her.” 

“Alright I'll come, no need to fight.” Mabel said looking at Celestabellebethabelle. She turned to tony and said, Don't worry I have my phone and you can go let everyone know who I'm with.” he started to reply and she put her finger over his lips to stop him. “Promise.”

“Alright.” he said even though every part of him that was still Dipper was screaming at him to not let her go. 

She walked over to a boulder and as CelestabellebethabelleDrew close she grabbed her mane and jumped on. Once Celestabellebethabelle was sure she was secure they started galloping towards the mountains. Mabel was sure this had something to do with her dream last night and wanted this over with. 

As soon as the unicorn had cleared the treeline Tony dropped the branch he was holding a took off after them. Sure she may get mad at him, but she should know that he was gonna do everything in his power to help her. Luckily the hoofbag will have to be careful going around the normal obstacles the forest presents, but he's prepared for them. Shortly after his brother and he had stolen the bike and then decided to stay away to live their on lives he discovered a love of running. He began doing it as much for fun as for necessity, he even began challenging himself by adding obstacles along his route, when they were in the other town he met a guy doing one of his runs that told him about something called Parkour. Looking it up on one of the library computers he decided to take it up and began adding the flips and jumps in as he went. And now that he has a permanent body he has been testing himself on how well it works for him. He has found that his body reacts quicker and his balance has improved 150 %. As for his other attributes, well earlier he had just attempted to defend Mabel with a log bigger than her and he's currently keeping a tracking pace with a four legged mythical creature. Whatever happened to him during his wooden petrification and reversal, it seemed to have somehow made him tougher and more physically fit. He was starting to recognize the area he was in, his brother and he had camped out in this area for a bit before heading away from Gravity Falls. He's quickly noticing he is losing coverage, but he'll deal with it when the time comes. Just up the mountain path ahead is a cave that belongs to some weird old crone and her pets. He's never seen the pets, but from the sounds he hears coming out of the cave he believes they are either bats or rats. All he knows is he kept hearing a whole bunch of skittering around deep in the cave and left before whatever it was ended up being roused. 

Staying back he saw they had stopped before the cave and Celestabellebethabelle let Mabel off of her back before they both entered the cave

**Inside the Bunker**

Having easily traversed the outer hall of the Bunker the two teens seemed intent on making sure everything was still in it's proper place. 

Wendy was again standing in front of the weapons case thinking back for a moment when she remembered something Tambry had said during a talk they had after the first video was shown. “Hey Dip. I have a question for you.” 

“Alright shoot, you know nearly everything about me anyways.” Dipper said as he was going over the instruments for the cryo-system.

“Well with all the other weirdness we've seen here, I was wondering if you have ever time traveled? Nah, that preposterous. Time only flows the one way, never mind.” she was gonna add more but she was cut off.

“Yes, Mabel and I have traveled both forward and backwards in time.” Dipper said now looking over at the girl of his dreams.

“Well, this is gonna sound, but Tambry...” Wendy started just to have him hold up a hand to stop her.

“Let me guess, she was reminding you of a day when you two were young and riding your trikes near the old dance studio?” He asked.

“You mean that was you?” Wendy said as he was acknowledging it. 

“Yeah we had went to the past to get away from the Time Anomalies Police, but once we realized when we where we decided see if there was anything we could do for Soos. Everyone should be able to enjoy their birthday. But yeah we ran into you also. Now that I think about it, it's funny. I ended up being the first crush of my first crush.” He said walking over to her and giving her a hug.

“Whoa, boom.” she said as she pretended to have the top of her head blow off. 

“Yeah, I'll tell you about the other time later.” he said pulling her hand up and kissing the back of it. 

“Alright.” she said looking over everything once again. “Are we about done here?”

“Yeah, I'm just gonna take this carpet down stairs. Be right back.” He said sitting his journal & his jacket down, he hefted up the Experiment 78 carpet and went into the decontamination locker. 

After it was done he brought the carpet into the larger storage area and stood it up next the wall. As he turned around to head back he tripped over a cord and pulled it out of the wall. As he tried to see what cord it was and try to replace it he heard, “Dipper watch out!” over the intercom. He turned in time to see a giant hand swing back knocking him into the carpet that proceeded to unroll over the top of him. Suddenly the wait over him doubled and then there were blades sliding around stabbing through the carpet, occasionally causing a spark as they hit the medal floor. Realizing the carpet had caught fire he knew he had to get out from under it. After a particularly nasty blade just barely missed him he saw the arm reach through and attempt to grab him. Using all his might he flung the carpet and his attacker off of him and started to run. He had barely taken a step when a hand grabbed him and in a sudden jolt he blacked out. 

He awoken to find himself laid up against the wall and the creature back in it's cryogenics pod. 

“What happened?” Dipper asked after he gathered his wits about him.

“Well he got out,” Wendy said pointing to the Shape Shifter, “after you tripped on a cord. He attacked you and as I was trying to get to help you, in a rush I accidentally triggered the trap room. I hit the reset buttons and by the time I found you two he was coming around and you had just rolled out from under a burning rug. I went to help him as he was bleeding, but then he asked me to make sure the journal didn't get caught in the fire.” 

Hearing that Dipper reached for his jacket to check on the journal only to see a giant white hand in front of his face. “Wait, what's happening?” he asked as he started sliding back up the wall into a standing position. Walking over to the glass from the cryogenics pod he looked at the reflection in the glass and saw the face of the shifter looking back at him. It slowly shifted back until he was once again looking at himself. 

“Where's the carpet, we have to switch us back.” Dipper said with a panic in his voice, “We have to...” he stopped as he remembered her saying the carpet had been burning. Turning he saw the ashy remnants of the Experiment 78 carpet, in a hushed tone he spoke, “No.”

“Dude, we'll get this figured out.” Wendy said as she hugged him close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is a short Chapter. We've seen two more get/use their powers and had the return of Celestabellebethabelle. Who is she helping and what do they want with Mabel? 
> 
> Things were not good while writing this chapter, my mom took a down turn. Some may wonder why I was still writing, but as I've said before writing had become my cathartic drug of choice, and it helped me deal without going psycho. 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Two chapters up
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.  
> 12-9-6-5 9-19 6-18-1-7-9-12-5 , 3-1-18-5 6-15-18 20-8-15-19-5 23-8-15 12-15-22-5 25-15-21 23-9-20-8 1-12-12 25-15-21-18 8-5-1-18-20.


	21. Chapter 21

** Chapter 21 **

**Gravity Falls  
Bunker**

“Dude, we'll get this figured out.” Wendy said as she hugged him close. 

“How did you know I, uhm, it wasn't me.” Dipper asked as he turned away from cryogenics pod.

“Well to start off he asked for the Journal and I knew you left it upstairs. Being suspicious after that,” Wendy answered 

**Flashback 5 minutes ago**

“Quick Wendy, make sure he didn't grab the Journal before he blacked out.” Dipper asked pointing to the Shape Shifter.

“One moment Dipper, you're bleeding.”, Wendy says as she goes to check on the cut on his arm. 

“What?” Dipper says as he looks down at his arm, as he does he starts to panic. 

“Chill man, we've both had worse cuts than this.” Wendy says as she pulls some gauze out of her pants pocket. 

“I'm-I'm-I'm bleeding!” Dipper said incredulously as he stared at his arm. 

After she tied the gauze off she looked Dipper over to make sure there weren't anymore injuries, he seemed to jump at her every touch. “Dipper, what are we gonna do about the creatures outside? They took your sister Pacifica.”

“Right, Let's get that things into the chamber and get out of here,” Dipper said getting up and heading towards the Shape Shifter. He never saw Wendy as she hit him over the back of the head with the handle of her ax.

She picked him up and slid him into the cryogenics pod and shutting the door before she plugged it back in and watched as it's systems rebooted and froze the body of 'Dipper'. She didn't know how or why, but she knew that her boy was laying over in the body of the Shape Shifter. 

**Now**

“And that's what happened while you were out.” Wendy explained. 

“What are we gonna do? Is that my body in there or what?” Dipper asked in a somewhat panicked state.

“I'm not completely sure, all I know is that you, Dipper Pines, are right here and I will stay with you as we figure this out.” Wendy said as she was looking into the eyes of her boy, of that she had no doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the Short Chapter, I wanted to get something up more than just an author's note.
> 
> As I was started to work on this chapter my mom passed away. Thanks again for following me and allowing my writing to help you go through your day. All review response will come with the next chapter.
> 
> fereality


	22. Chapter 22

** Chapter 22 **

**Mountain Cave**

Mabel followed Celestabellebethabelle into the cavernous cave to meet the unicorn's hostess. As she heads deeper in the cave she gets the feeling that she has been here before. It's a vague feeling Sorta like a dream or something. She keeps hearing a scrambling sound all around her as Celestabellebethabelle's horn lights the path ahead of them.

“Welcome, Mabel, my child.” Mabel heard coming from further in the cave, “Come forward and learn your destiny.”

Mabel finally makes it to the main chamber of the cave and slowly she remembers having had painted and given the cave a make over, but she really thought this was just one of Grunkle Stan's stories he told to try to con people out of their money. Surely she would've remembered if Grunkle Stan had lost his hands, wouldn't she? 

“I see you do remember your last trip here, the memory fog spell I cast must have faded on you due to your natural mystical attunement.” The lady Mabel remembers as the Hand Witch says as she walks into the light of the room.

“Why am I here? Why are you real? That was just one of Stan's stories to con the rubes?” Mabel questions as she is still processing what's going on. “Your not gonna go all 'Witch from Hansel & Gretel' on me are you. I wouldn't taste good. I drink way too much Mabel Juice to be healthy for anyone to eat.” 

“Don't worry my child I'm not that type of witch, those fairy tales are way too biased against our people anyways. You get one bad apple in a group and suddenly everyone eats children. Tsk, tsk.” the Hand Witch said as she shook her head.

'But you did try to black mail my Grunkle Stan into going on a date with you. Forcing someone to do something against their will isn't exactly make you a good guy.” Mabel said as she was still trying to figure out what was going on here. 

“I see you have received my gifts.” The Witch said 

“Gifts?” Mabel asked as the book flew out of her pouch and floated upwards as her new necklace started to glow. 

“The Tome of the Sovereign and the Unicursal Shooting Star. They have chosen you as the replacement of the fallen champion of the old ways. They are yours to use in your battle against the coming darkness.” The Hand Witch says the book changes from the pick up line book to and old wood and leather bound book and the chained necklace had be changed also becoming a malleable golden collar/choker combo with the shooting star emblem in the center. 

“What's happening?” Mabel yells as her eyes roll into the back of her head and she collapses. 

“Mabel!” Tony yells as he rushes into the open space and catches her before she hits the ground. “What did you do to her?”

“Ah, her brother follows,” the Hand Witch said as she turned to look at Tony as he gently sat Mabel on the ground, “Wait you are not her brother. You are close, but no your do not share the same blood as her. Who are you child?”

“I asked my question first, old lady! What did you do to Mabel?” Tony said trying to stare down the Hand Witch. 

“I did nothing to her, she is just receiving the Mastery of the Gaea’s Blessing and the History of our people.” The Hand Witch said, “I have now answered your question, you shall answer mine.”

“My name's Tony and I'm Mabel's cousin.” Tony said with balled fists. “I volunteered to watch out for Mabel as she went out to pay her respects to hoofbag here's friends.”

“Why you little...” Celestabellebethabelle started towards him till the Hand Witch raised a hand to still her.

“Alright, I now know who you claim to be, but hear this,” the Hand Witch stated, “I know you are not of the same blood as Mabel. I also know that you were followed here.” 

“What are you talking about you old bag?” Tony said as he turned around to look back down the dark tunnel.

“Though Celestabellebethabelle was covered by my magic, you were not and you led a creature here to my sanctuary. You must now go and rectify your mistake. Defend Mabel.” The Hand Witch points down towards the mouth of the cave.

Tony looked around and grabbed a shovel from the hall way and headed towards the mouth of the cave. As he gets there he notices several hands fighting off what appears to be a stone mountain cat. Feeling it was the bigger threat he ran forward and stuck the tip of the shovel into the ground and used it the give himself the boost in the air to deliver a flying dropkick into the side on the felines head knocking it off balance. The hands that had been fighting the creature retreated now that Tony was there. He picked up the shovel and headed back towards the creature. It regained it's footing and came at him, leaping straight towards him. He raised the shovel and caught it in the jaws that had been heading for his face, unfortunately this caused him to fall backwards with the stone creature on top of him. 

With a loud crack the creature bit through the heft of the shovels handle. Pulling up his legs he pushed the feline off of him and as he rose he swung the shovel head at the creature's face knocking off a big chunk of it. He then spun around and brought the metal handle across the other side of the creature's face. The mountain cat pulled back and then sprung straight for Tony, he ran fast towards the walk of the cliff and upon reaching it ran three steps up the shear wall before leaping backwards and landing on his feet with the head of the shovel cutting off the creatures tail. It's scream echoed though the mountain path. 

Mad with rage it sprung at Tony and with luck knocked the shovel head out of his hand. As Tony swung the handle end towards it, it caught it in it's mouth and tore it away from Tony. Tony dove for the Shovel head only to be knocked back by a stone paw that ripped his shirt. He backed away in order to attempt to regroup when the creature leaped at him, he dodged but was caught by a paw that swung at him almost as soon as it landed. The feline was on him before he could move. 

“Prggvm Urhgh!” 

The creature was knocked off of him by what appeared to be flying pink kitty cat heads. He again rolled towards the shovel head grabbing it as he got back to his feet. 

“Nrhgb Nrhhrov!” 

A bolt of frosty blueish white energy flew at the creature and hit it mid jump as it was lunging again at Tony. He dodged the frozen creature as it landed right where he had just been. As soon as it stopped he brought the edge of the shovel blade down and shattered the now frozen feline. 

“It took you long enough to get out here, witch.” He said as he was turning back towards the cave entrance only to realize it wasn't the Hand Witch who had helped him.

“Sorry cuz, processing nearly 10,000 years of history and knowledge takes a little bit.” Mabel said walking over to her cousin and then pokes his nose, “Boop.”

“Are you ok, Mabel? That old bag didn't hurt you did she? ' Tony said as he grabbed Mabel by the shoulders and gave her a visual once over to make sure she looked ok. 

“Yeah, I'm fine silly willy. Though it looks like the same can't be said for you.” she said looking at the ripped shirt and several scratches all over him from the fight. “Ylwb Svzo Gsbhvou! Uzyirx Ivhgliv!”

He looked down and first the scratches started to heal up and next the threads on his shirt seemingly start to flow back together. He notices all of the dirt and sweat stains from the shirt also disappear. “Whoa.” 

“Whoa indeed.” Mabel said looking out over the valley that is Gravity Falls as many of the hands start throwing frozen chunks of stone off the side of the mountain path.

**Gravity Falls Lake 1:25 PM**

“But my aim is improving.” Stan said as he tried out his old joke on his captive audience of his nephew and his brother. 

“Oh, man Uncle Stan, that was a stinker.” Adam Pines said as he slapped himself over the joke. 

“That's what she said! Ha!”, Stan replied trying to keep the humor going

“Your attempts at humor are bordering on the juvenile, Ly” Ford said after he threw out his line again. 

“Well at least I'm trying to do something to keep us entertained, we haven't even had a nibble since we've been here.” Stan complained.

“I agree, the fish seem to be avoiding us.” Ford remarked.

“You two want to head in?” Adam asked as he headed back towards the boat's motor. 

“Yeah, we can go hit Greasy's for lunch.” Stan said as he started reeling his line in while Ford did the same. 

Adam pulled hard on the cord to start the motor when it just froze up. After trying a second time he tipped the motor up out of the water and saw that the blade had been wrapped with several layers of weeds from the lake locking up the motor. “Well I wonder how this happened?”

“What's going on kid?” Stan asked as he looked back at his nephew.

“What is that around the motor?” Ford asked.

None of the boats passengers noticed the hands grabbing the side of the boat.

**Mystery Shack  
Gift Shop **

The bell over the door rang as the door opened. Melody looked up and greeted the customer, “Welcome to the Mystery Shack. Oh hi, Candy! Mabel isn't back yet.”

“Hi Candy,” Francis said as he popped up from behind the Display he was cleaning.

“Hi everyone. I am bringing a few components that Mr. Ford wanted from Mr. McGuket. But if it is fine, I will wait for Mabel to return.” Candy asked as she walked around the Shack's gift shop. 

“Oh, of course hun, you know you're part of the family. Francis, take a break and keep Candy company.” Melody said with a hidden smile, knowing about the young man's crush on Candy. 

“Sure, no problem.” Francis said almost to eagerly. “You want to watch some TV or something, Candy?”

“It is fine Francis, I do not need accompaniment. Do not bother yourself on my account.” Candy said as she headed into the living room. 

“Oh, it's no bother. I find your company to be quite enlightening.” Francis replied. 

“Really?”, Candy said as she sat down to watch the TV.

“Yeah, you are the most intriguing person I have met.” Francis said. 

“Interesting,” Candy said as she studied Francis.

**Greasy's Diner**

As Blubs and Durland were leaving the diner after their lunch break, they were passed by a teenager and a well dressed woman Blubs hadn't seen in town for awhile. 

“Why lookie here, Mrs. Ruperts. You are a sight for sore eyes. How are you doing, ma'am?”, Blubs asks tipping his hat to the lady in question. 

“Well, if it isn't little Mikey Blubs. You're a police officer now, why I remember when you used to work at the Dusk2Dawn. My how times have changed.” Mrs Ruperts answered as she recognized Blubs. As she shook his hand she continued “And to answer your question I'm doing fine. I'm in town showing my grandson my old stomping grounds and visiting some old friends.” 

“Well grandma, I'm gonna go ahead and get us a table while you catch up.” James said as he continued into the restaurant. As he sat down he spotted three of the people from the pictures his 'grandmother' had shown him. One was sitting at the counter, he was a big man in a red shirt that was almost as wide as he was tall with a brown mop of hair and a trimmed beard. The other couple was sitting in a booth, he was in a long sleeve shirt with a sweater vest and she was in a red cardigan and they both had on glasses. They seemed way to cheerful looking to be morticians, but from the files he studied that's what they were. 

“Well it was nice seeing you, Mikey, I mean Sheriff Blubs.” Mrs Ruperts was saying as she disengaged from the police officers. She then headed on over to the booth where James had seated himself. 

“Three of them are here, Steve Decker is over at the counter eating a pizza, seriously who orders a pizza at a diner? The Valentinos are two booths back.” James whispered as soon as his 'grandmother' sat down. “Did you get anything from the smokeys?”

“Only that we can rule them out, they were wearing matching engagement rings.” Mrs Ruperts replied in the same hushed tones as she looked at the menu. 

“Good afternoon folks, do you know what you want or do you need more time.” Lazy Susan asked as she walked up to the table, “Why Gillian, is that you?”

“Susan dear, why it's been ages.” Gillian Ruperts responds, “How are you doing?”

“Pretty good,” Susan said motioning around the diner she continued, “I own the place now.” 

“Good for you,” Gillian said as she took Susan's hand, “We'll have to get together later and catch up.”

“Of course we will, silly.” Susan responded. “Have you decided on your order yet?” 

“Well I'll take the coffee omelet and a side of home fries, what about you James? Oh, Susan this is my grandson James.” Gillian added.

“Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I'll take a burger and chili fries.” James said.

“Alright, I'll have them right up.” Susan said as she walked away.

Just then the door opened and a gangly dark haired teenager walked in wearing a black hoodie and jeans so tight James was wondering if they were sprayed on to the guy. He saw him head over and sit down with the Valentinos. 

“What's the plan?” James asked, again in a hushed tone.

“We'll eat first and then I'll check them out. Susan is cleared. Her bloodline holds no power.” Gillian responded in a quiet tone.

**Gravity Falls General Hospital 2:00 PM**

“Thank you for coming in for the follow up Mr. Patel. I'm Dr. Nuit and we just wanted to see how you are recovering after your bout with the nuero-toxin and make sure there were no lasting after effects.” the Doctor getting ready to examine Nate said as he was going over the chart in front of him. 

“Heh, thanks doc. I feel great. Even my allergies have cleared up.” Nate said as he talked to the doctor. 

“Well we just want to run a few blood tests to make sure.” The doctor said as he was preparing the IV kit in order to draw the blood samples.

“Are sure you need to do that Doc?” Nate asked, having never been a big fan of needles. 

“Yes, we need to make sure your body hasn't been hiding any adverse side effects. We don't need you to get sick on us and then try to sue.” The doctor joked around as he put the pressure strap on and prepared to insert the IV. “Now you may want to turn your head for a moment. It may sting a bit.”

Nate turned his head and took in a sharp breath as he felt the needle enter his arm. 

After filling up four vials of blood, the doctor puts the labels on the tubes and turns to Nate, “I have one of the nurses come in and take care of bandaging you up.” He gathers up the vials and heads out the door. 

Nate just set there waiting until finally a nurse comes in and while her back is still turned to him starts speaking, “Well how are you today Mr Patel, I just need to draw three samples for a to make sure you aren't having any adverse effects from your encounter with the nuero-toxin.” she turns around with the IV starting kit and then notices he already had one in his arm. “Hmm, it looks like someone has already prepped you for me.” 

“Uhm, nurse. I've already had four samples taken by Dr Nuit.” Nate stated as he watched her put the kit away.

“I'm sorry Mr. Patel, we don't have a Dr Nuit at this hospital.” the nurse explained as she drew the first sample.

**The Mystery Shack**

Candy and Francis were sitting in the living room passing time until Mabel or Ford returned. She was in the recliner and he was sitting on the old cattle skull table. He was attempting to converse with her as one intellectual to another. 

“Alright here is one for you. What is the difference between a dog and a marine biologist?” Francis said as he was joking around with Candy.

“Hmm, I do not know,” Candy replied

“One wags it's tail and the other tags a whale.” Francis laughed a little at his own joke. 

“Interesting.” Candy said as she adjusted her glasses.

'Aw man I'm bombing here, remember the list. Playful banter isn't going over so good. I need to change the subject.' Francis thought as he tried to figure out a way to get Candy to really notice him. 

“Uhm, so what all did you bring over for grand pa Ford.” he said knowing she knew the truth but wanting to stay in practice for anyone else in town who didn't know.

“Well Mr. Ford wanted a couple of micro stabilizers for an invention he is working on for the next exploration trip he and Mr Stan are preparing To embark upon.” Candy said as she pulled her backpack up on to her lap and dug around. She pulled out a couple of small mechanical devices that were carefully packaged and then she pulled out a large metallic lump and she set them all on the arm of the recliner, “He also asked for an ore sample of Natural Copper, though I do not know why.” 

As she was finishing up she went to grab one of the servos and knocked it and the Natural Copper Ore sample off. With out thinking Francis dove down attempting to catch the two items. No sooner had he dove to grab them, he realized he just jumped head first towards the floor. He caught them falling objects and mentally prepared to hit the ground, only to hear a loud metallic thump when he hit.

“Francis are you ok?” Candy asked as soon as he hit the ground. 

“I think so,” he said as he attempted to get up.

“Francis!” Candy exclaimed as he stood up.

“Whoa! Bro What happened?” Tony yelled as he and Mabel entered the living room from the side door. 

“Am I missing some red slippers here, cause I think I'm seeing a tin man. Ok. Maybe not tin, he looks a little more coppery,” Mabel said as she took a look at Francis. 

“What are you guys talking about?” Francis asked as he went to hand the servo and the ore back to Candy. After she took them he lifted his hand and he saw that his skin had taken on a reflective metallic look. “Ok, what's going on here? What's going on?”

“That's what we were asking you,” Tony remarked.

“Hmm, It appears to be localized to just your flesh. Your clothes have not been altered in any way. This happened when you touched the Natural Copper Ore, was there anything else going on in your mind as that happened?” Candy asked as she got out of the chair and walked over to where Francis was standing.

“Well I thought that I had possibly just signed my death warrant in order to save an object you were trusted with from falling and breaking. I didn't want to get hurt by landing straight on my head and hoped it wouldn't hurt.” Francis said as he ran his hand over his hair wondering if he looked like a fool in front of everybody now. 

“So you're saying that you just sacrificed yourself so that Candy wouldn't look bad in front of Grunkle Ford and McGucket?” Mabel asked as she suddenly got hit with her Match Maker instinct. 

“Thank you Francis. Very few people have ever done something like that for me before.” Candy said. 

“Dudes, we've got a problem…” Wendy said as she changed focus mid sentence. “What is going on with Francis?” “He's not a statue again, is he? I'm not sure I could fix him a second time.” 

“Don't worry, I'm not a statue again.” Francis responded.

“Ok, what happened?” Dipper asked as he finally joined everybody in the living room.

After a quick recap of what had just happened again to bring everybody up to speed Francis turned to Wendy and asked. “As you were coming in you were saying we have a problem, what's going on?”

“Oh yeah, We've been trying to reach Ford, Stan, or Mr Pines since we left the Bunker and we're not getting any answers at all.” Wendy said as she looked over the group, not telling anyone yet about what happened to Dipper. 

“I'm getting real worried,” Dipper added. “It's not like Ford or Dad to not answer their phones. Stan on the other hand, I wouldn't put it passed him if the fish are biting.” 

After a moment of thought Dipper looked at the group and spoke, “Candy we need you to get Charger and tell her to meet us at the lake.” 

Candy pulled out her phone and started dialing as she walked a little bit away from the group.

“Wendy do you think you could ghost us all there?” Dipper asked his girlfriend.

“I don't think so. It's hard enough with one person, but a group this size...” Wendy said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Don't worry broseph, I've got this.” Mabel said as she put her hand up to her necklace and clasped it. “Kldvih Zdzpvm!” And once more her necklace transformed into the golden collar with the inlaid shooting star emblem. Her sweater and skirt transformed into shimmering silver gown with gossamer white sleeves. Seeing the shocked looks on everyone but Tony she added, “It's a long story, we'll talk about it later.”

Wendy transformed into her ghostly state, _“Better to be prepared than to walk into a trap.”_

“I'll worry about trying to change back after we make sure they are ok,” Francis said.

“Let's do this!”, Dipper said. 

“One last thing, we can't all change our appearance the way Wendy does and I don't think we want everybody in town knowing that some of s have weird abilities. Thanks to Dipper making me watch all of those superhero movies, I have been sketching out ideas for costumes for everybody just in case. I haven't had time sew them all up, but let me see what I can do. Xolgs Lu Kilgvxgrlm!” 

As they stood there the three guys clothing began to glow. Suddenly Tony was fitted in a slate gray body suit with black gloves, boots and a mask with a fin that hid his Mohawk. Next Francis' glasses were turned into goggles that were attached to a black half mask that covered the lower half of his face, his torso was covered in a short sleeved olive drab green shirt, a pair of charcoal gray pants, and black boots & gloves. And finally Dipper's clothing didn't change at all except for his hat turning into a charcoal gray fedora.

Mabel looked at Dipper and remarked,“Hmm, I swear I had more designed for you Dip. Well I'll worry about that later. Let's get going, Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and with that a golden light surrounded the five of them and they disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who sent me condolences and well wishes through my recent loss. On 4/14/2016 we laid my mother to rest next to my dad. 
> 
> This hasn't been asked here, but elsewhere I've been asked if Bill is gonna show up. The answer is a resounding NO! I really can't stand the living Nacho Chip and will not be bringing him in, his time has passed. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will-o/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Two chapters up
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 1-19 20-8-5 8-5-18-15-5-19 7-1-20-8-5-18, 19-15-13-5-15-14-5 4-5-1-18 13-1-25 12-15-19-5 20-8-5-9-18 2-1-20-20-12-5.


	23. Chapter 23

** Chapter 23 **

**Gravity Falls Lake  
Shoreline**

As the golden light appeared in the treeline near the lake, Mabel is the first to appear. She watches as the rest come into view, until Dipper finally appeared or at least she thinks it's Dipper. The only thing she recognized from before the teleportation is the fedora. The figure standing in Dipper's place is wearing a black domino mask, charcoal gray trench that matches the fedora, a blue spandex shirt, black combat pants, black gloves and boots. He's also standing a few inches over Wendy now, and sporting a goatee. This can't be her brother. Her spell shouldn't have effected his height & the outfit she had designed for him was more of an Oklahoma Bones explorer based design complete with the whip. 

“Something wrong sis?” the person standing in Dipper's spot asked. 

“You look different.” Mabel responded.

“Your spell must have taken longer to work on me,” Dipper suggested.

“Well my spell should've only changed your clothes, not your whole body. You've grown taller.”, Mabel said in a hushed tone as she got closer to Dipper.

Wendy scooted over and whispered, _“We'll tell you later.”_

“Wait, she knows and I don't?” Mabel burst out loudly.

“Hey, I didn't know about your Mary Blotter upgrade either.”, Dipper retaliated.

“It just happened today.”, Mabel replied unfazed. 

“The same here.” Dipper responded

_“Guys we need to get our heads back into the game, we'll work this all out later.”_ Wendy said interrupting the twins. _“We have to find out what happened to the Stans and your dad.”_

“I see the Stan O' War III,” Tony called from the shoreline.

_“Let's go find out what's going out there,”_ Wendy said grabbing Dipper's hand and heading to the shore.

“Any ideas about how we're gonna get out there?” Francis asked, “Normally I'm a great swimmer, but...” he motioned down towards his metallic body.

_“Charger, are you with us yet?”,_ Wendy asked as she put her earbud in her ear. 

_“Incoming. I see you on the shoreline, who're your friends?”_ Charger came back over the earbud.

_“Some friends who've also had some upgrades.”_ Wendy said. _“We're gonna have to give them a lift out to the boat.”_

“This is Delphi, I'm online. Schematic has told me that Charger has some extra buds once she gets to you.” Tambry broadcast

_“Schematic?”,_ Wendy questioned.

“Yeah. The one who called Charger for help. As for the her new call sign, I've got someone here helping with names. At least when he's not spending time with his new flame.” Tambry said.

_“You have someone there and you're still working?”_ Wendy asked.

“He already knows the sitch, he has a name for you too, Will O' Wisp.” Tambry replied.

At this point Charger landed on the shoreline near Wendy and Mabel. After giving an earbud to Mabel, she turned to the rest of the group and held out 3 earbuds, _“Here guys, Delphi thought you'd need these.”_

_“I think I'll just use Will O', it fits both with the ghost and lumberjack aspects.”_ Wendy responded to Tambry.

She gave the two she figured were Francis and Tony each an earbud, they then placed them in. Charger next turned to the last guy and man was he cute. She completely didn't recognize him and as she handed him one she said, _“Here ya go handsome.”_

_“Watch it Charger, he's taken.”_ Wendy said walking over and taking Dipper's hand. 

“Dipper?” Pacifica barely whispered in her armor. 

“Let's get going guys,” Tony said pointing out to the boat. 

“Uoldrmt Uortsg!”, Mabel shouted and rose up into the air. She then begun to head towards the boat. 

Seeing this Charger walked over to the Clondike twins grabbed each around the waist and lifted off. 

“A little warning next time,” Tony sneered. 

_“Sure thing T,”_ She replied. She realized the twins were heavier than she had estimated. _“I think you boys need to think about going on a diet.”_

“Well it doesn't help I'm solid metal.” Francis smirked as her head turned towards him as he said that.

Back on the shoreline Wendy turned towards Dipper, “Need a lift?”

“”We'll see, might as well see what this body can do besides change my clothes.” Dipper replied and ran towards the water growing a giant pair of bat wings out of his back as he went. As he reached the water he jumped and started flapping the wings and he took off. “This is really gonna take some getting used to.” 

_“Well what do you know, it worked this time.”,_ Wendy said as she soared up beside him. 

“Don't remind me. It was bad enough I fell out of the tree while trying to get a signal for my phone but thinking I could try to pull a sugar glider. Just making the membranes to try and glide down but failing was worse. Especially in front of you.” Dipper said blushing.

_“Dude, it's ok. At least you tried.”_ Wendy said taking his hand again.

“Ok lovebirds, I'm at the boat and I'm not liking what I see.” Mabel said over the radio. “There appears to have been a struggle here.”

_“I'm finding radiant heat signatures all over the deck.”_ Charger added as she got the Clondike twins to the boat. _“They appear to be blast marks now that I'm closer.”_

“I've found one of Grunkle Stan's brass knuckles,” Francis mentioned as he headed towards the bow of the boat near one of the fishing chairs. 

“Nothing down below,” Tony called out as he checked below deck.

Wendy & Dipper landed as everyone came back together in one group. “What else have we got?” 

Mabel lifted up three phone that the twins recognized as belonging to their father and their Grunkles. All three had been smashed to bits. “This doesn't look too good broseph.”

“They're tough old birds, we'll find them.” Dipper said as he put a comforting arm around his sister. 

**Piedmont, California  
Pines living room**

Elaine Pines was cleaning the living room for the third time since she woke up this morning. She hated being home alone, that was one of the reasons she went back to work so quick after the twins were old enough for daycare. She would've preferred to stay at the hospital after her shift last night but they sent her home because of her supposed fainting attack earlier in her shift. She doesn't remember it happening, but two of her people said they found her on the floor in one to the treatment rooms. And it didn't help that she hadn't been able to relax due to missing her families trip. 

'Maybe I should try calling Adam again, I don't know why the call's not going through.' She thought as she moved the stack of TV News magazines for the 5th time this afternoon. 'I wouldn't be this bothered if we hadn't sent Valerie with the kids. I could've at least spent some time petting her.'

She moved on into the kitchen and made a quick cup of coffee. While it was brewing she made herself a grilled cheese & pepperoni sandwich. She grabbed her plate and went back into the living room to watch the clock till she had to get ready for her shift. 

She tried to call Adam again and once it went to voice mail she hangs up and dials Dipper's phone.

**Gravity Falls  
Lake Gravity Falls **

“So sis, you have any tracking spells in your arsenal? It may be the only way to figure out where everybody...” Dipper started to say to Mabel until his phone rang. On reflex he pulled it out of his pants pocket, he was glad Wendy had emptied his pockets before freezing the other him. He looked at the caller id and saw it was his mother so he answered while signaling everybody to be quiet, “Hi mom, to what do I owe this call?”

He listened to his mother for a moment before replying, “Well he said he and the Stans were going fishing today, maybe he just turned it off so he wouldn't be bugged by work calls. You know how they are always calling him for suggestions on how to fix the problem du jour.”

After another few seconds of listening to his mother Dipper responded, “What are Mabel & I doing? Well we're out getting to know our second cousins some and visiting friends.”

Tony walked up to Dipper and started tapping his wrist to remind him that they needed to get going. 

“Put the glitter gun down Valerie already has a collar, you don't need to put a new one on her. I need to go mom before I have to shave the cat again.” Dipper said with a wink at Mabel who just harrumphed and stuck her tongue out at him.

“Love you to mom.” Dipper said as he closed the connection. 

“You didn't have to throw me under the bus bro.” Mabel pouted, “Besides, you've only had to shave her once and she was the one who got into my craft supplies.”

_“Alright guys we need to focus,”_ Charger said as she stepped up to the twins. _“We need to find them, every moment is one less that they have.”_

_“She has a point.”_ Wendy added turning to Mabel, _“So do you have any spells to track people. I'm not able to get any feelings off of the stuff we've gathered.”_

“I have one I can try,” Mabel said as she got refocused on the matter at hand, “I'll need something from one of them.”

Francis handed her Stan's brass knuckles. Mabel pulled out some string from somewhere in her costume and tied it to the center of the knuckles and let them hang.

“Alright here we go,” she said once she was done, “Urmw Gsv Olhg!” 

Almost at once the brass knuckles started pulling towards Scuttlebutt Island. Dipper heads up to the helm and starts the engine and steers the boat towards the island. As he's driving Mabel moves to the front of the boat and continued to use the knuckles and string as a divining rod. As they get to the island Dipper pulls the boat as close as he can and then drops anchor. Sprouting the wings again he grabs Mabel and glides to the shore. Wendy grabs Tony and Pacifica grabs Francis then they follow suit. 

Once they all are on the island Mabel's divining string leads off to the left side of the island. As they start to follow her a reflected flash catches Dipper's eyes and he heads over to see what it was. As he looks down towards where the flash is came from he notices his dad's glasses and drag marks in the middle of a second pathway. 

“Stop guys, I'm beginning to think they may have split them up once they got to the island. Just to be certain we better split up. We'll keep one flier in each group in case we need to meet up again quickly. T & M follow the knuckles, Charger & F take the far right path to be safe, and Will O' and I will take the middle path. Stay in Radio contact and if we don't have a call sign yet just use initials for now.” Dipper said as he was looking over every body. Tony walked over to Mabel, while Francis and Charger headed over to the path to the right. As a last thought he tapped his earbud and said, “Delphi contact the rest of your crew and have them be ready if we need any help getting off of the island. Ok?”

“On it.” Tambry replied.

**Scuttlebutt Island 10 Minutes later  
Left path**

“There's probably no way for that thing to tell us how much farther we have to go?” Tony asked as he followed Mabel down the path.

“Nope, it's taking us the only way it knows,” Mabel replied shrugging her shoulders before continuing, “Unfortunately it could even lead us off of the island.” 

As they were about to head into the beaver's inlet Tony grabbed Mabel and pulled her to a sudden stop.

“What...” Mabel tried asking before Tony put his finger up to his mouth and pointed to a tree just on the other side of the inlet. Mabel was just barely able to make out the chains wrapped three deep. They were approximately the right height to be wrapped around Grunkle Stan's chest and his fishing hat laid next to the tree. She let out a small gasp at the sight.

Tony signaled that he was gonna stick to the tree line and try to come up from the other side. She decided to give him a 20 count before she 'wandered' into the clearing. After canceling the divining spell she untied the string and put her hand into the knuckles as best as she could. 

After the end of the 20 count she headed into the clearing, “Man I hope I find Stan soon.” she said loud enough to be heard as she tried her best to be the bait and hopefully give Tony timr to try and freeing Stan. 

“Well what do we have here, a lonely damsel, attempting a rescue on your own?” she heard coming from somewhere around her, there was definitely and Asian accent to the voice. It was bugging her that she didn't see who was talking, the only thing Mabel saw was a fox laying on one of the fallen logs the beavers were making to ad to their dam. 

In one fluid motion the Fox jumped off of the log and into the air. In mid jump it began to shimmer and they time it landed on it's feet it was a beautiful young Japanese lady with fox ears and a tail. She was wearing a karate Gi and had a silver belt tied around it. 

“I'm surprised only one of you came to find the old man.” The fox woman said as she stared down Mabel. She slowly moved towards Mabel while seemingly getting into ready to pounce. 

**Scuttlebutt Island  
Right most path**

_“I'm scanning for any heat signatures that do not match any of the ones I took over everybody after I landed. We really don't want to, like, jump any of our friends.”_ Charge said as she was leading Francis down the path. 

“Sounds good.” Francis said as he was watching the treeline to make sure nothing jumped out at them. 

_“So, you gonna tell me why you appear to be made of copper now or are you gonna claim it's a trade secret or something?”,_ she decided to ask in to fight off the boredom she was developing due to the fact she really doesn't think they'll find anything on there end of the hunt. 

“Well all I know is I went to catch a Natural Copper Ore sample from getting knocked over and the next thing I knew I was metallic.” Francis replied still watching the treeline. 

_“Wait, I'm getting a heat source. It's human shaped. Switching to regular sight. It looks like Ford and he's been tied to a rock just 20 meters out in the lake.”,_ Charger pointed out to the area just off of the extended shore. _“Let's get him.”_

Charger lifts off and starts towards Ford

Francis starts running for the shoreline in order to save Ford, as soon as gets close he notices a woman hop out of the water and leans on a rock near Ford. As he is about to take his first step into the water she begins to sing. “Come to me, my little angel. Come to me and be my king. Come to me, my little angel. Come and listen to me sing.”

Francis stops in his tracks and his eyes glaze over. “Protect me, my darling. Attack my enemies. Protect me, my darling. And do as I please.”

Francis turns and grabs Charger out of the air as she flies by.

**Scuttlebutt Island  
Middle path**

_“So what exactly are we gonna tell your sister?”,_ Wendy asked as she floated next to Dipper while he followed the drag marks in the dirt. 

“We'll just explain everything, I'll explain everything.” Dipper said as he worried about his father. 

Together they followed the path until it led to a cave.

_“I don't remember there being a cave on the island.”_ Wendy said as they observed into the darkness inside. 

“Let's get in there.” Dipper adjusted his Eyes in order to see better in the darkness. He allowed Wendy to lead the way so her flames would light the path.

They walk all the way to the end on the cave and all they found was a stone wall. They doubled back to make sure they hadn't passed up an offshoot and after they had walked far enough that they should be back at the entrance they found again the stone wall. 

_“Ok, I know we didn't get turned around, what's going on here?”,_ Wendy said as she examined the wall. 

“I'm beginning to think we're not alone here.” Dipper replied as he began to look around. “Let's try this again, but first.” Dipper turned his hand into a blade and slashed the wall to make a giant x to mark the spot. “This should be let us know if we've come back to the same spot again.” 

As they headed back towards the way they came there was a loud primal roar that echoed through out the cave.

**Piedmont, California 2:37 PM  
Eggbert Elementary**

Wildbill is standing in the middle of the school's gymnasium watching as his students and the other wrestlers on the card working to get everything set up for the nights show. Antonio was helping set up the sound system. 

Seeing as the crew was getting the ring together pretty quickly Wildbill walked over to chat with Antonio, “Hey it's looks like nearly everybody is here. Let's go over the matches for tonight. We'll start out with the two newbies and then have the Tag tourney match. Next the grudge match between Avalon and White Wolf. After that is the battle royale with the winner facing the champ in the main event. Intermission is next followed by the ladies match. Then we'll have the tag title match. Hey wait a minute where are Patrick and Jacob?” 

“Not yet, but come on there's no way they'd miss a show. They're going for the tag titles tonight remember.” Antonio replied as he was plugging in one of the speakers. 

“Hey William, where do you want the merch tables?” one of the guys entering the gym asked. 

“Over against the far wall.” Wildbill said motioning towards one of the walls. 

Suddenly one of the doors flied open and Jacob comes in carrying Patrick who looks like he was severely beaten up and Jacob doesn't like he's that much better. 

“Jacob! Patrick!” Wildbill runs over to his students a to check on them, “Antonio, Mike one of you bring the first aid kit and the other call us an ambulance.”

“Tell us what happened?”, Antonio asked as he rushed over with the first aid kit.

“We were jumped by three masked guys, I swear one of them was wearing a preying mantis mask.” Jacob said as he finally laid Patrick down. 

**Gravity Falls  
Tambry's house**

“Guys, I've lost Will O' and D. Guys? Guys?” Tambry was almost yelling into her head set as she was watching the screen of her computer as the icons for that track the earbuds of her friends as they are out in the field are disappearing one after another till finally the only one left is Pacifica's. “What's going on out there guys?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well every one we now have the team together. And then they split up to search for the Mystery twins father and the Stan twins. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will-o/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Two chapters up
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.  
> 6-9-18-5 1-14-4 6-12-1-13-5-19 12-9-7-8-20 20-8-5 14-9-7-8-20 19-11-25.


	24. Chapter 24

** Chapter 24 **

**Gravity Falls  
Scuttlebutt Island  
Left pathway **

“We'll little one, is this man's life worth so little that only one of you came to help him?” The Japanese woman said as she gets into a battle stance. “If you wish to save him you must get past me.”

Before she knew what was happening Mabel is behind her petting her tail, “You have such beautiful fur, what shampoo do you use? This there a certain conditioner that you use?”

The fox woman swings at Mabel only to find her no longer there, “You should know better than to mess with a Kitsune's tail.” She then swings out a kick aimed at Mabel's head only for Mabel to get her arm up to block it. 

“A kitsune? Is that another name for a meany McGrouchy pants?”, Mabel commented as she jumped back out of the reach of the kitsune. “Do we really have to fight? I would prefer to settle this over a Pitt Cola and a danish.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tony creep closer to Stan.

“You talk of peace, yet you are armed with a weapon of fighting.” The kitsune said pointing to the brass knuckles on Mabel's hand. 

“I wore them only as a precaution, I didn't know what I would find out here. All I really want is my Grunkle to be safe.” Mabel said in a sad tone.

“And I am charged with keeping him away from those who wish to oppose my mistress. So it seems we are at an impasse.” The kitsune said as she moved closer to Mabel. “Also your friend should learn to move more quietly.”

Upon hearing this Tony made a jump in an attempt to grab Stan only to pass right through him. “What the?” 

“Aw, did you really think it would be that easy?” The kitsune said with out even turning her head, “With these ears I heard you coming a mile away.” 

“Where is he you anime reject?” Tony yelled.

“He is around, but as I have said you are not getting him with out getting past me.” The kitsune said, “And no one get's past Kodachi the Kitsue. Now come at me.” 

**Left pathway**

_“What are you doing, Fr...”_ Pacifica started to question as he pulled her out of the air slamming her into the dirt. He then lifted her and threw her against a tree. 

“Fight my foes, my warrior lord. Destroy her now, heed my word.” The tell tale song of the siren is still flowing through the air. 

_“Snap out of it, I don't want to fight you.”_ Charger said as she brought up her arms to block the punches thrown by Francis. Seeing his eyes looking blankly at her, she decides to try and put some distance between the two of them. Catching his hands as he swings at her, she pushes him back with enough strength to be able to get one of her feet up against his chest and hits her propulsion at full blast throwing him out into the lake. 

_“Guys, I need help. F has been hypnotized. Guys?”_ Charger broadcast over her intercom. 

“Delphi here, I've lost the others' signals” Tambry replied. “I don't know if something is blocking the signals or why I'm even able to get your signal.” 

_“Maybe it's cause my power source is stronger or I'm shielded better? All I know is this creature is having him fight me!”_ Pacifica pondered as she started to head towards Ford. 

“Well, whatever it is we need to get everybody back online.” Tambry responded. 

“From the depths, my charge rises. To save me, from your lies.” The siren continues to sing. “Acacia's my name, I'm no mermaid. I'm a siren, so be afraid.” 

As Charger got closer to Acacia a hand flew up out of the water and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her underwater. 

As she went under she turned the propulsion unit on full force and pulled Francis back up into the air, _“Sorry to do this.”_

**Middle path**

“What was that?” Dipper asked.

_“I'm not sure, but I don't think I want to find out?”,_ Wendy replied. _“Let's get moving but keep quiet.”_

Dipper shifted down to the size of a mouse and climbed up Wendy's arm to her shoulder. He whispered to her, “It may be best if whatever it is only thinks there is only one of us.”

_“Sounds good”,_ Wendy agreed quietly.

She starts heading down the passageway stopping every few feet to place a different mark along the wall. About half of the way down the passage as she prepares to mark the wall she is shocked to discover a passageway that leads away from the main passage.

_“This wasn't here just a few moments ago, should we follow it?”_ Wendy wondered.

“I'm guessing whatever has my father is probably down there, so it'd be best to follow it.” Dipper replied from just inside the collar of the flannel. 

Holding her ax at the ready Wendy started to head down the tunnel. As she started she she marked the entrance with a W. 

The passage lead on longer than both of them figured it should and had many twists and turns. They had traveled for what seemed like hours, hearing the frightening roar several times before either of them spoke again.

“There shouldn't be this much space on the whole island for this passage way,” Dipper mused. “And something about this whole situation is strangely familiar.”

The further they went they encountered more hallways leading off from the original passageway.

“Oh no, I finally realized why this is so familiar. We're in a labyrinth and that must mean that roar we're hearing is a Minotaur.” Dipper proclaimed.

_“Like your buddy Chutzpar?”,_ Wendy asked. 

“Yeah, but not so burly and a lot more vicious.” Dipper replied and with some worry in his voice he added, “they're also suspected of being cannibalistic.”

_“We'll find him dude,”_ Wendy said in a comforting tone.

“I know.”, he hoped.

THUMP, THUMP

“I smell intruders!” Echoes through out the cavern. 

THUMP, THUMP

“ARGH, WHERE ARE YOU AT INTRUDERS?” The voice continued.

**Piedmont, California  
Heritage Memorial Hospital ER**

“Well Elaine are you feeling better today?” one of her co-workers asked as she came into her shift.

“Never felt bad last night Crystal,” Elaine replied as she clocked in, “I don't even remember the black out or what ever.” 

“Well, let's go see what dealing with so far.” Crystal said as she walked down the hall to check the rooms.

Elaine walked down the next hallway and as she checked in on the first room she heard one of the occupants reply, “Elaine, is that you?” 

“William, what are you doing here.” she questioned as she took a better look at the man sitting next to the hospital bed. 

“Two of my students were attacked on their way to our show today.” Wildbill said as he cocked his head towards the bed where Jacob is laying. “Meet Jacob, he's one of the two guys helping me train Dipper & Mabel. He's also one of the ones who brought Dipper & Mabel after they got jumped in the alley. And the other guy helping is down the hall.”

“You don't think the two incidents are related, do you?” Elaine gasped as she put the two together. 

“You know my feelings on coincidences.” he replied.

“Yeah, I do.” She said as she walked over to look at Jacob's chart. 

“Hmm, three fractured ribs, a fractured collar bone, and several internal injuries. He didn't just get jumped, somebody devastated this boy.”, Elaine remarked as she continued reading the chart. “How's the other guy doing?”

“The doctors were just getting to him when I left so they could do some x-rays. But Jacob looks better than Patrick did.” Wildbill said looking at the floor. “If I ever find the guys that did this...” 

“Well the three that jumped Mabel and Dipper are already dead, they all died in house fires.”, She said. “I'm gonna head down and check the rest of my patients but I'll be back. Have their parents been contacted?” 

“Yeah we called them before we left the school.” He said.

Elaine nodded as she left the room, she checked on the other rooms and thought, 'it must be a slow night.' 

Walking int to last room she she sees a Hispanic young man that must be William's other student. Looking at his chart she sees he also has several fractured ribs, a broken leg, both arms are broken, a cranium fracture, and a fractured jaw. “If this is just cause they helped the kids, I'm afraid of what the people who did this would do to them.” 

**Gravity Falls 3:23 PM  
Mystery Shack Gift Shop**

Melody was moving around trying to keep busy as her friends were out possibly risking their lives for their loved ones. She was dusting the Stan statue while wanting to down the hall and check with Candy on how things were progressing, when the phone rang. 

Walking over to the phone she caught it on the second ring and she answered, “This is the Mystery Shack, where we put the fun in no refunds.” 

“Oh, hello Mrs Pines. The twins aren't answering their phones? Well, uhm, I think they went to the movies. They probably turned them off in the theater. You want me to pass on a message if they get back before you reach them? Two of their friends are in the hospital! I'll make sure to tell them as soon as I see them. Yeah, they both have been doing good. Alright I'll let you get back to work then Mrs. Pines.” Melody said as she held up her end of the conversation before ending it. 

“Soos!” Melody yelled as she headed down towards Soos's office.

**Right most pathway**

Tony was busy dodging fireballs thrown by the Kitsune, Mabel on the other hand was moving closer as she began casting. “Yovhh Gsv Gllo!” and the knuckles began to be surrounded by a golden glow. 

“Alright Foxy, I've had it up to here with you!” Tony yelled as he jumped towards her in an attempt at tackling her.

“Eat my knuckles,” Mabel called as she swung at Kodachi only for her to vanish as Tony came into view. Her swing missed but Tony connected with her as they both went to the ground.

“Ow, that hurt.” Mabel said pushing Tony off of her. “You need to watch where you're going.”

“I was watching, she just disappeared.” Tony said while helping Mabel get to her feet.

“What's wrong little ones? Are you having troubles?” Kodachi's voice called out from apparently all around them. “Do you need to go home to your mommies?”

“She has to be here somewhere?” Tony said before he suddenly felt a kick to landing across his face. “Oof.” 

“What happened, T?” Mabel asked before she too was kicked, this time in the gut. 

“Aww, did that hurt. You two might as well give up, there is no way you will be able to defeat me.” Kodachi's voice came from the left of Mabel.

“Never, I am going to save my Grunkle if it's the last thing I do.” Mabel yelled as she closed her eyes and tried to think of a spell to use. 

Tony closed his eyes and tried to block out all of the ambient noise, listening just for the sounds of breathing. He heard Mabel's breathing from where he last saw her. Coming from behind him he hears the tell tale sound of something cutting in through the air. Turning he attempted to catch whatever was coming his way.

“Hvv Gsv Fmhvvm!”, Mabel shouted. As the spell coalesced and her vision pierced the kitsune's illusions she saw Tony catch Kodachi's leg. He held it tightly. She also saw that Kodachi was attempting to bring her other leg up to try to pull off an enziguri. She brought another spell to the forefront, lifted her arms, and shouted, “Prggvm Urhgh!”

Balls of energy flowed around her hands and coalesced into cat heads that shot out and nailed Kodachi in the chest mid move causing her to stop her swing at Tony's head. As soon the blasts hit Kodachi's illusions faded and she was once again visible. Tony, still holding on to her leg, lifted her into the air and slammed her hard against the ground.

“Where is Mr Pines?” Tony asked as he reached down and grabbed her by the throat. Lifting her up he asked again, “Where is he?”

Seeing that he may have her in hand, literally, Mabel tried looking to see if she could find Stan. While her spell was still active, she could not find any sign of him just a pair of weird looking brownish orange trees. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she heads over to Tony & Kodachi.

“He's not here.” Mabel told Tony before turning towards Kodachi, “Where is he, you flea bitten hussy?” 

“You still have not beaten me,” Kodachi said as she lifted up her legs and kicked herself out of Tony's hands. She landed on her feet and shifted back into her fox form and ran away. 

**Left most path way**

Charger put her thrusters on full power and flew straight up into the air. During this Francis was still punching and kicking her. 

_“I really don't want to do this, F. Snap out of it.”,_ Charger said as she grabbed his second hand. 

“She is wicked, she is mean. Protect me darling, protect your queen.” Acacia the siren still continued her song. 

Charger started to dive down while still holding onto as soon as she got close enough she threw Francis into Acacia causing them both to grab on to each other. No sooner was that done than she turned and fired off the Tesla Blast straight into Francis's back, being that he's currently made of pure copper she knew the charge would flow straight from him into Acacia. 

“Oww, what happened?” Francis said as he came out of Acacia's spell. He quickly realized he was in the water and grabbed onto one of the rocks near Ford. 

Charger dived into the water and brought Acacia out of the water and using some rope she found, tied her up to a tree. She then used some of her gauze from her med kit the gag Acacia so she couldn't sing anymore. 

In the mean time Francis was able to get a hold of Ford and get him onto dry land. Charger walked over to him and using smelling salts she had in her kit to revive him. 

“Get down, Stan… Oh, who are you two?” Ford said as he was coming to. 

“We're friends,” Francis said and after looking over to check that Acacia was out he added in a hushed tone, “and family.” 

“Why are you made of metal?” Ford pondered aloud. 

**Right most pathway**

“Where'd she go?” Tony said as he began searching the area for the kitsune and Grunkle Stan. 

“She has to be around here some where.” Mabel said before she suddenly turned and shouted, “Nbhgrx Hsrvow!”

A beautiful turquoise shield appeared in front of her saving her from a blast of fox fire. “Prggvm Urhgh!” The energy cats fly from her hands at the Kitsune. 

Kodachi was only to dodge one of the of the cats, the other hit her dead on knocking her right into Tony's arms. Tony cinched his arms around her waist and then pulls her backwards and delivers a belly to back German suplex. He then held on to her and refused to let her go. 

“Now where is my Grunkle?”, Mabel yelled at Kodachi. 

“Inside the tree over there,” Kodachi answered, “You have bested me.” 

Mabel rushed over to the tree and after searching it found the lever that opened the secret compartment, “Grunkle Stan, are you ok?” 

“Yeah, I am pumpkin. Why are you dressed like that? Where is your normal sweater?”, Stan asked, “And why do you have my knuckles?”

“We'll explain it later.,” Mabel said as he gets out from the tree. “First off, Ylwb Svzo Gsbhvou.”

“Whoa kiddo, what was that?”, Stan asked after the spell flowed over him. “I feel great.” 

“Just a lil perk up, Grunkle Stan. Don't need you to fall apart on us.” Mabel said to Stan, she then tapped her ear bud and tried to report, “We have Stan. Anyone hear me. Hey T, you getting anything on your ear piece?” 

“Nothing, let's head back to the boat and see if anyone else is back yet.” Tony replied. “Should we bring her along?” 

“Yeah, Ford & D may want to talk to her.” Mabel said

**Middle pathway**

_“Ok man, we've passed this area five times now. Something is definitely wrong here.”,_ Wendy said as she noticed a mark she had placed on the wall when they first went down this hallway. _“And we still haven't found your dad or big, brutish, and hairy.”_

“I know we should've come across something by now.”, Dipper said still sitting on her shoulder. He hopped down and returned to his size he was when they first landed on the island. “We need to reach the others for an update.” 

THUMP, THUMP

“At last I have found you!” Bellows a voice from behind them. 

Dipper and Wendy quickly jerked around to face their foe when a look of recognition came across Dipper's face. 

“Testosteraur? What are you doing down here?”, Dipper asked as he looked at his former manliness trainer.

“Do I know you little one?”, Testosteraur questioned. 

Dipper shifted to his normal form and said, “Testosteraur, it's me Destructor.”

“Destructor. Why are you down here childling?”, the manotaur asked.

“My friend and I are down here to rescue my father,” Dipper said. 

“Ah, then we are at odds Destructor. For I am to guard the person you are searching for as a penance for an affront to my masculinity.” Testosteraur responded. “I was bested in battle by a man in white and am now honor bound to do his wishes or lose my man card.” 

_“Is there any way we can get, uhm, Destructor's father with out fighting? If you're a friend of Dipp, er Destructors there must be a way for us to end this peacefully.”,_ Wendy asked not wanting Dipper to have to fight someone he once considered a friend. 

“Destructor, you're letting a woman speak for you?”, Testosteraur asked staring at Dipper with his mouth wide open.

“She is more worthy to speak for me than you ever would be.”, Dipper said suddenly slipping into defensive mode. He then shifted back into his costumed form, before continuing, “I really hoped I wouldn't have to fight you, but it really seems you haven't learned anything since we last met where as I have a whole new bag of tricks.” 

_“Are you sure about this, Dipper?”,_ Wendy asked before taking notice of Dipper dropping into a fighting stance. _“Alrighty then, big boy. Since you don't seem to want to do this the easy way, we'll do it the Corduroy way.”_

Reaching behind her back with her free hand she took hold of her normal ax and pulled it out also. She noticed the gloves on Dipper's hands take on a thicker rougher form. 

“Well Destructor, I guess I shall have to embarrass you in front of your woman.”, Testosteraur said putting on a pair of metal gauntlets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are, two battles down and the third and final one about to start. And more info on the condition of Patrick & Jacob. The fun in Piedmont is far from over.
> 
> I've decided on Francis's Code Name, Flux. Mostly do to it being easier to remember. ;-)
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will-o/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Two chapters up
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 2-1-20-20-12-5 2-15-18-14 1-14-4 20-5-19-20-5-4, 9-20'19 20-9-13-5 20-15 16-18-15-22-5 25-15-21-18 13-5-20-20-12-5.


	25. Chapter 25

** Chapter 25 **

**Gravity Falls  
Labyrinth **

“You are no man. So why do you attempt to appear so, Destructor?”, Testosteraur asked as he paced closer to Dipper & Wendy.

_“He knows more about being a man than you would ever know,”_ Wendy retorted, _“he knows about compassion, caring, helping others, defending those he cares for, and doing what is right. He also one of the toughest men I know.”_

“You are still letting your woman speak for you?”, Testosteraur asked mockingly.

“Oh, I'm not letting her do anything, she is free to do what ever she wants. And though I love her, I don't own her!”, Dipper said as he got into a defensive stance. “And I no longer go by Destructor, it's Shifter now!” 

_“Shifter, huh?”,_ Wendy asked with a smile.

“It works, Will O'”, Dipper smirked. 

“Enough of this sentimental malarkey,” Testosteraur bellowed, “we are here to fight!” 

Testosteraur lowered his head and began running straight at them.

Wendy attempted to phase through the walls but found she was unable to for some reason. Sensing the manotaur was closing in she ghosted away to behind him. Dipper on the other hand stayed right in his path, shifting his musculature to make himself stronger and more able to withstand the rushing onslaught. As Testosteraur got closer Dipper grabbed a hold of his horns and attempted to halt his progress. When he realized he was only slowing him down and not stopping him, Dipper raised himself off of the ground using Testosteraur's horns as a balance bar. He flipped up onto Testosteraur's neck and wrapped his left are completely around his neck, the other he shifted into a flexable flat surface and attempted to smother him out. Unfortunately Testosteraur hit the wall before the plan could take effect, knocking Dipper off of his back. 

As Testosteraur stood he picked up Dipper by the head and as he turned he was met by a flaming boot to his face. _“Let him go, you walking hamburger!”_

The next thing she did was to swing her ax down towards his head, only for him to block with the gauntlet on his free hand. She countered this with an upswing from her regular ax that caught a glancing blow across his chest. 

“Argh!”, Testosteraur yelled in pain. He threw Dipper at Wendy as he went to clutch his chest. The two of them landed in a heap half way down the hall. 

“You shall pay for that, Woman.”, Testosteraur said through clenched teeth.

Dipper and Wendy got to their feet and turned to face Testosteraur again. Dipper shifted so that his arms were back to their normal length and his gloves were solid stone. 

Knowing that Testosteraur's belief in his manliness was his greatest strength and also his greatest weakness, Dipper called out, “Aw, did the poor baby get a booboo?”

Wendy smirked before she floated up towards the ceiling, _“You hit him low and I'll hit high.”_

“Sounds good to me.”, Dipper said as he started charging at the manotaur. As he got nearer he called out, “Hey Testosteraur how'd your three y chromosomes feel getting hit by her ax.” 

“Destructor, you best not get me mad!”, Testosteraur hollered before he too started running at the pair coming his way.

_“Aw what are you gonna do, throw a temper tantrum?”,_ Wendy called out as she was getting the gist of Dipper's plan. She held back and taunted him again, _“Does the poor Mini-taur worry he's gonna lose to a girl?”_

Starting to get flustered Testosteraur turned his attention back towards Wendy and didn't realize Dipper had shrunk down so he could go in-between his legs. Once through he turned and slammed both fists into the back of the manotaurs knees just as Wendy lit up her spectral ax and threw a burst of fire at him. He tried to block it with his gauntlets only to fall backwards as the dual attack combo nailed him. As he fell backwards Dipper rolled to the left of him and out of harms way. Dipper jumped up and continued the assault by slamming his fists into Testosteraur's stomach. Wendy in turn lit another ball of fire and threw it intentionally at the right gauntlet, hoping to heat it up enough the he would want to take it off. 

Testosteraur grabbed up a handful of dirt and threw it into Dipper's face before trying to get back up onto his feet. Once he was vertical again he swung at Dipper and nailed him in the gut, throwing him back into the wall of the hallway. Wendy swung her ax at him but he dodged and grabbed her arm, pulling her down and slamming her into the floor. 

Dipper regain his composure and vision just in time to see Wendy bounce from from hitting the floor. He almost instantly lost his composure again and shifted into the Gremgoblin and started the swing wildly at Testosteraur with his now clawed hands. After scoring two good hit and then backhanding him down the hall, Dipper shifted into his shifter guise as he ran over to check on Wendy. She was getting up by then. 

“You ok?”, he asked as he got to her. 

_“Yeah, remember I'm a lot more durable in this form. Also don't forget I'm a Corduroy, it'll take a lot more than hitting the floor to hurt me.”,_ She said with a smile. 

“Good. I just got you, I don't want to lose you.” Dipper said as he put a quick peck on her cheek. He wasn't sure but he thought he saw a little bit of color in her pale cheeks. Getting back to the matter at hand he changed the subject, “I have an idea, how's your pitching arm feel?” 

Slipping her normal ax back in it's holster she said, _“Pretty good. What's the plan?”_

“I want you to shoot a blast of your fire near his head and while he's blocking you're gonna throw me at his stomach,” Dipper said as he shifted in to a Lilliputtian. 

Wendy took a hold of him in her right hand and aimed her ax at Testosteraur with her left. She shot a blast just over his left shoulder and as Dipper thought he went to block it. She the threw Dipper as hard as she could straight at his stomach. Dipper flew as hard and fast as she could throw him, when he was as with in striking distance he suddenly shifted into his Shifter form and hit him with all the force the momentum gave him.

Wendy followed this up by rushing in after Testosteraur was bent over and delivering a brutal kick to his face, causing him to fall over backwards. Dipper stood up, walked over to the prone manotaur, lifted his head up by a horn and asked, “Do you yield, or do we need to continue?” 

**Back at the boat**

“So you're saying that ever since you touched the geological sample I asked Fiddleford for, your body has been turned to copper?” Ford was questioning Francis while Charger was standing watch to make sure no one else would try to attack them. They had brought the siren with them after Ford assured Charger that the sedative she had in her first aid kit would be safe to use on her. They still kept her hands tied and her mouth gagged. It wasn't much longer that she saw Mabel, Tony, and Stan coming back from the path they had traveled. 

“Well it sounds like, I'm gonna need to teach you some of the sweet science when we get back to the Shack if you plan on keep this stuff up. I'd try to stop you but I know how stubborn this one,” Stan said as he ruffled Mabel's hair, “and her brother are and I really doubt you're any different. If the two of them can survive Weirdmageddon, a lil bit of heroics shouldn't hurt.” 

_“I see you two found Stan, have you heard from Will O' or your brother?”,_ Charger asked as soon as she was sure they were with in earshot. 

“Ok, I'll bite. Who's the robot?”, Stan asked before Mabel or Tony could respond.

“No. Our earbuds went silent shortly after we split up, but we didn't notice till we were done fighting this creature who called herself a kitsune,” Tony said as he threw the fox woman on to the deck of the Stan O' War III. 

“You mean Will O' and D's not here?” Mabel asked.

“A kitsune you say?”, Ford asked as he walked over to the boat's new captive, “I read about them of course but never had a chance to interview or study one before. They usually stay in the orient, I wonder what brought this one to Gravity Falls?”

_“No and we can't reach them either. Now that you two are back, I'll take to the air and see if I can, like, find them.”,_ Charger said Taking off before anyone could protest. 

“Ok, I'll ask again. Who's the robot?” Stan said scratching his head. 

**Piedmont, California  
Heritage Memorial Hospital ER**

William Hauser was sitting in the ER's waiting room now as Jacob's uncle and Patrick's parents had shown up. He tried to reach Mabel, Dipper, or even Adam but was having the same luck as Elaine. He's was really beginning to get worried, but was doing his best to keep a good face in front of Elaine to keep from adding to her worry. First three guys from the kids school start fighting with them, next the same three jerks tried to jump them only for Patrick & Jacob to come help them, then the three bullies houses burn down, and finally Jacob and Patrick are jumped and severely injured.

“Yeah there are no coincidences in the world.”, Wildbill muttered to no one in particular.

**Gravity Falls  
Gravity Falls General Hospital parking lot**

“So what did the Docs say, you gonna live?” Lee asked Nate as they walked out to Lee's dad's truck.

“I dunno man, something weird happened while I was in there. They took my blood twice, first by a Dr Nuit, and then a nurse. I asked why they needed to do it again since Dr Nuit already took a sample and the nurse said that they didn't have a Dr Nuit on staff.”, Nate replied.

“Maybe you should ask your dad about it, he is on the board of trustees,” Lee said as he fired up the engine on the truck.

“Not so loud man, you think I want people to know my family has money. If they did they'd expect me to act like a Northwest or something.” Nate said and shook at the thought. “I wanted to still live a normal life. My parents understood this even won that lottery money, sure they can move to Florida but not me. I want to stay here where it's not that complicated and the people are real.” 

“It doesn't hurt that your mom made some good investments after wards either. It's like she was psychic or some thing.”, Lee added. “I know you want to live a simple life but you could've at least let them buy you a car so we don't have to keep borrowing my dad's truck.” 

“I'll think about it,” Nate smirked at his friend's suggestion. “Let's find Tambry, I want to have her look into this Dr. Nuit.”

**Labyrinth**

“Yield, you want me to yield to a child and a woman? Never!”, Testosteraur still bellowed as he knocked Dipper back with a swipe of his arm.

Wendy tried to take another swing at him as he was getting up but he blocked her with one of his gauntlets. He grabbed her by the arm he blocked and lifted her off the ground as he finished standing up. He turned and slammed her against the wall and held her there,“You should never have gotten involved, woman.” 

_“Oh, I'm involved alright.”,_ Wendy said as she flared the fire that radiates from her hair so that it surrounded her whole body. Her eyes went pitch black and she called for her ax only for him to grab it out of the air as it flew to her.

“You attempt to use the ax as a weapon yet you have no training in it. As for your Fire, my gauntlets are protected against all flames.” Testosteraur said, “Now why don't you let a man show you how to truly use an ax as a weapon.” 

He brought the ax up into the air and prepared to swing it down at Wendy, only to find he could not move it. He turned his head to look at it and saw another manotaur holding his wrist. Wendy used this distraction to deliver a kick to his jaw causing him to drop both her and her ax. As soon as her feet hit the ground she dropped down and swept her leg out and kicked his legs out from under him. As he fell the other manotaur threw him against the wall.

“You need to quit while you still have a chance to survive.” The Dipper manotaur said, “I will not show any mercy this time.” 

“Never!”, Testosteraur yelled as he attempted to charge again.

Wendy swung he ax at him as she dodged his charge and she was rewarded by hearing him bellow in pain and the sound of a horn hitting the floor. Dipper reacted by shifting into Shifter and grabbed the remaining horn and rolled backwards using Testosteraur's momentum to monkey flip him into the wall. Upon standing back up he walked over and delivered a kick to Testosteraur's head.

“Now where is my father?”, Dipper yelled at the fallen manotaur. 

“I know not where he is,” Testosteraur said, “the man in white took him when he placed me in this cave.” 

“WHAT?” Dipper yelled.

_“Why didn't you tell us that at the beginning?”,_ Wendy questioned, _“We wouldn't have fought you then.”_

“That's why I didn't tell you, if I told you we wouldn't have fought and I had to fight you and win in order to be able to get out of this labyrinth.”, Testosteraur said defeatedly. “As the loser of this battle I'm cursed to never leave here alive.”

_“What, you can't leave here now?”,_ Wendy asked. 

“No, I am cursed,” Testosteraur said, “Not that I would be able to show my face at the Man Cave again after losing to you two.”

“There is no shame in a well fought battle, there is only shame in cowardice and cheating.”, Dipper said offering his hand to help the defeated manotaur to his feet. He then walked over to where his fedora fell at the beginning of the fight and placed it back on his head. 

“Now that the two of you have won you will be able leave the caves, please do not let the others know of my location. I do not wish for them to share my fate.”, Testosteraur pleaded.

“Oh, I think you may have to tell them that yourself.” Dipper said with a gleam in his eye. 

“What do you mean?”, the manotaur questioned

_“What are you planning?”,_ Wendy asked.

“I suggest we play fast and loose with the wording of this curse,” Dipper said before leaning over and whispering in Wendy's ear. 

**In the sky above the middle path**

_“Delphi, I've covered the whole pathway all the way to the lake and still no sign of them but something strange is going on down there. Are you getting the readings I'm sending?”,_ Charger asked over her communications equipment. _“Something is producing some weird energy fluctuations down there?”_

“Yeah, something is definitely going on down there.” Delphi replied. “I'm switching on your video recording equipment so we can study this later.”

_“Good idea. Like, I'm heading down to get a closer look.”,_ Charger said as she headed down towards the pathway. 

“I don't know if that's a good idea.”, Delphi countered.

_“Too late,”_ Charger replied with a smirk. She landed away from the area producing the fluctuations and as she looked towards the area she saw a cave shimmer into view. _“Are you seeing this?”_

“Sudden appearance of a cave out of no where, check.” Delphi answered.

Charger headed slowly towards the cavernous opening stopping only as she saw an eerie blue glow coming towards the entrance from the inside. She stood back as she saw Will O' and Dipper come out of the cave carrying a giant wooden statue that looked somewhat like one of the manotaurs that had hid out in the Shack during Weirdmageddon. Once they were completely clear of the cave entrance it again shimmered out of site. 

“I've found Will O' and D,” Charger started before she was cut off by Dipper.

“It's Shifter now,” Dipper said as he shifted into Stan before returning to his own form. 

“Ok, I've found Will O' and Shifter,” Charger corrected herself before continuing, “We'll be heading back to the boat shortly.”

“Do they have my dad with them?” they all heard Mabel ask over the earbuds. 

“Hey, do we have radio contact again?” Delphi broke in before anyone could respond. “Yeah, you're all showing back up on my displays again.”

“Sorry sis, apparently dad was gone before we got here. The man in white has him,” Dipper replied before asking, “Did you guys get Stan and Ford?”

_“Yeah, and we each came back with an extra. And it seems like you did too.”,_ Charger responded. 

_“Yeah but ours is a possible friendly,”_ Wendy added. _“He had been cursed to fight us or be stuck in that cave forever. At least till Shifter found a loop hole in the curse. Let's get back so we can explain it all at one time instead of over and over again. Can you take him?”_ Wendy pointed at Testosteraur. 

“Yeah, I got him,” Charger said grabbing the wooden manotaur and flying back to the boat.

_“As for you,”_ Wendy said before placing a kiss on Dipper's cheek, _“We'll find your dad, I promise.”_

She then took his hand and they faded out of view only to appear on the shore near the boat. Charger landed shortly after them.

_“That's a lot easier over a shorter distance.”_ Wendy said after they arrived. 

They got onto the boat and saw the two new passengers before Dipper told every body about the fight. As he got to the curse Wendy took over, _“and then Shifter leaned over to me and asked me to turn Testosteraur into wood as he would no longer be alive at that point and we would be able to bring him out of the cave with us.”_

“Fascinating, I would love to study your abilities if you would let me,” Ford said he he spent time looking over everyone in the group. 

_“Maybe later, right now I definitely don't feel like being poked and prodded. That was a heck of a fight back there.”,_ Wendy responded.

“Ok, so we were jumped, kidnapped, held as bait, and all you're interested in is studying their powers. Man you are a Poindexter, bro.” Stan said ribbing his brother, “though someone has messed with our family and now someone is gonna have to pay. Let's get back to the Shack cause tomorrow we begin looking for this 'Man In White' in earnest. Though I still have one question?”

“What is it Grunkle Stan?”, Mabel asked trying to not think about her missing father.

“Who is the robot?”, Stan asked to which everyone else started to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another exciting chapter is in the books, I hope everyone enjoyed the fight. The next chapter will be dealing with the aftermath of the fights and what is happening in Piedmont. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Two chapters up
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 15-14-5 15-6 20-8-5-19-5 1-18-5 14-15-20 23-8-1-20 20-8-5-25 19-5-5-13.


	26. Chapter 26

** Chapter 26 **

**Gravity Falls Lake shore**

_“Ok, how are we gonna take care of these three?”,_ Charger asked after they had unloaded their catch of the day, _“there's no reason for Blubs and Durland to arrest them and even if they did there's no way a normal jail would hold them.”_

“Well, there's always the stasis pods in the bunker,” Ford offered. 

“We'll need more of them if this keeps up,” Shifter mentioned. 

“I'll talk to Fiddleford and see what we can do,” Ford came back. 

“Well for now we need to get these guys on ice,” Shifter said as he turned to Mabel, “Think you can get us there?”

“With pleasure, but we need to talk.” Mabel said before turning to her two Grunkles, “See you two later, Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” 

A golden light surrounded the 6 heroes and their captives before the shimmered out of sight.

“This is gonna take some getting used to,” Stan said pulling his fishing hat off and rubbing his forehead.

“For all of us I fear,” Ford added.

**Inside the Bunker's Cryogenics lab.**

Inside the cavernous laboratory the golden light shimmered and not only did the nine from the lake appeared but so did Candy, Tambry, and Thompson. Both Candy & Tambry were holding their laptops. 

“And here we are, what smells like burnt wool?” Mabel said with her back to the three unexpected arrivals and holding her nose.

“Wait? What? How?,” Thompson was asking as he stared around the underground laboratory. 

Upon hearing Thompson Mabel whirled around and started sputtering, “Huh, wait a minute, I wasn't trying to bring them. When I cast the spell I only wanted to bring the team and these extras.” She added pointing at the captured creatures.

“Wait, you said you wanted to bring the team here,” Tony said turning and pointing towards Candy & Tambry, “Don't you consider them part of the team?” 

“Eureka, That could be it. But it doesn't explain Thompson,” Francis said 

“Where were the two of you before you came here?”, Shifter asked as he walked over to them.

“Well, I had stopped over at Tambry's to get some advice,” Thompson said looking down at the floor. “You see, I've got this girl that I've been seeing and well...”

“What he's saying is we were down in my computer room, gonna play a round or two of Boom, when I got the call. Since he already knew about Will O' and all I didn't kick him out. Heck, he's the one who came up with her name.”, Tambry offered in order to save her friend some embarrassment. 

“Sometimes it pays to be a comic book aficionado,” Thompson said still somewhat embarrassed.

_“Well that probably solves that, let's get these two locked up before we figure out what to do with,”_ Charger was saying as she walked over the what she hoped was the cryogenic chambers before she stopped short looking down at the face of Dipper frozen in the first tube. _“What the hell is happening here?”_

She rushed over to Shifter and lifted him up off of the ground with her right arm, the palm of her left was open with electricity arcing across it, _“That's Dipper in there, so who the hell are you?”_

Wendy started for her but Mabel stopped her. She rushed over to Charger and calmly put her hand on Charger's left arm to calm her friend down saying, “Whoa, Paz. chill. That may look like Dipper in there, but it's not. This is Dipper you're holding.” 

“Yeah, I'm me.” Dipper said as he reverted to his normal appearance except for the hat which was still the fedora. “At least mostly.”

“Mostly?”, both Mabel and Pacifica asked upon hearing this.

“Remember your comment about the burnt wool when we popped in here a moment ago, well the wool that burnt was the Electron Carpet,” Dipper told them seeing Mabel the light bulb go off in Mabel's head.

_“What?”_ Pacifica asked lifting up her face shield and looking her friend straight in the face, which was easy as she still held him up a good two feet off of the ground.

“A few months ago Dipper and Mabel found a carpet in a hidden room in the shack,” Candy spoke up, “It had the power to switch the mind of two people if enough of an electrical charge passed between them. It became a mess. Soos, Mabel, Waddles, Dipper, Grenda, Fiddleford, Sheriff Blubs, Deputy Durland, and myself were all involved at one point. It was an interesting time, but I do not believe I would want to repeat it.” 

“Exactly,” Mabel agreed.

_“So you're saying what exactly?”_ Pacifica asked still trying to completely understand what they were talking about. 

“The creature in the pod is a shape shifter that took Dipper's form as we put him back in stasis to mess with his mind,” Mabel told everyone but it seemed to Pacifica that she was just talking to her. 

_“Well kinda,”_ Wendy added before she powered down.

“Kinda?” this time Mabel turned on Wendy and gave her an evil eye, “What do you mean kinda?” 

“Well. He,” Wendy said pointing at Dipper, “is Dipper and that,” she was now pointing at the pod, “may be Dipper's body.” 

Nearly everybody was now looking at either Wendy or Dipper. 

Mabel finally spoke, “So that's why my spell only changed your hat?” 

“Yeah, right now the rest of me is me,” Dipper said with a blush. 

“Ok, TMI Dipper.” Tambry said with 

“Alright everybody let's calm down and get these two put up,” Tony said as Francis opened up one of the empty pods. Tony grabbed Kodachi and placed her in the pod. Once he was done Francis closed the door. 

“Might as well make it a matching pair,” Wendy said opening the last pod and then putting the Siren in it. “Now someone needs to go up and hit the button to start the freezing process.”

“Got it,” Mabel said as if she hadn't just learned that her bother may be trapped in the body of the shapeshifter. She walked back through the decontamination chamber and into the control room. Looking down on the group she presses the button and watches as the creatures are frozen. 'What am I gonna do, Dipper is in the body of that horrible creature but I can't treat him any different. He wouldn't treat me any different, so I can't be the one to be the bad sibling. It's too bad I'm in this dress or I'd probably head to sweater town.' 

_“A smart person once told that you can't spend your time trying to hide your feelings, you have to be free to express them or they will poison your heart.”,_ Pacifica said

“You know you need to take that modulator off, looking at you and hearing such a deep voice makes me think of the scene in Galaxyorbs where the princess is singing in her prison cell.”, Mabel said with a giggle in her voice. She doesn't know what it is, but for some reason recently Pacifica has always been able to raise her spirits. 

_“Anyways, I came up here cause Dipper wants to change into a spare set of clothes he said he keeps here. Besides, Thompson is down there trying to come up with names for Francis & Tony to use out in the field. Maybe he could help you come up with one for you also,”_ Pacifica said with a smile, _“Man, you're right. Swing low sweet chariot. Haha.”_

“Hahaha,” Mabel dropped to the floor laughing during the short song. She got up brushing off her dress and said, “Ok, let's get back down there.”

They headed back down to the laboratory chamber where Tony was running and flipping off of the walls, after he stopped he started explaining what he was doing. “Well it's an exercise style called Parkour or freerunning. It's all about using what ever obstacle is in your way and figuring out of to traverse them in any way possible whether that means you have to go over, under, across, or through it. I became fascinated with it when we were out of town and began studying it whenever I had access to it. In time I began practice it and used the skills I picked up to help us survive. I was decent but ever since I was changed it has become more natural for me.”

Thompson was sitting in a chair he had some how found. He seemed to be in thought till he finally spoke, “You know I could take credit for this one but you seem to have already named yourself, but I'll say it just to see if I'm thinking right. How do you like Freerunner?” 

“You know what, I like it. It's simple, but descriptive,” Tony said after he gave it a moments thought. And without Thompson realizing it was gonna happen Tony had run up behind him, placed his hands on Thompson's shoulders and leap-froged over him. “Whahoo.” 

Mabel walked over to Dipper and gave him a hug, “Go on up broseph. I'll watch the door so you can change freely.”

Dipper hugged her back, “Thanks sis. We'll still talk some more after all of this is over.”

“And what about you, Francis, wasn't it?”, Thompson said, turning to talk to the metallic boy. “Do you do anything besides become metal.” 

“I'm not sure, this transformation was accidental, I have no idea what my physiology will allow me to do. Right now I'm not even sure if there is a way to reverse this transmutation or if it is permanent. Scientifically and biologically there should be no way that I should be able to survive like this, but here I am.” Francis responded.

“Have you tried to consciously will yourself back to flesh?”, Thompson asked.

“Well I thought about turning back,” Francis responded, “but by then everybody started to return and we found out that we had to go help out Grunkle Stan and Grandpa Ford.”

“Ooh, I know,” Tony spoke up, “Maybe he has to kiss his one true love like in the old fairy tales.” He went to nudge his younger brother only to receive a punch in his shoulder for his trouble. Even though he was metallic Tony thought he may have seen him blush. 

“Not cool man, you don't kid about stuff like that,” Wendy of all people scolded him.

“Go ahead and try it, Francis,” Thompson said watching the nervous metallic kid.

“Alright here it goes,” Francis closed his eyes and concentrated. Slowly he felt his body warm up all over and when he looked down at his arms he saw he was flesh again. He slipped his gloves off and touched his face, “It worked!”

Thompson had been fiddling with his keyring while Francis had been concentrating, he waited till Francis was once again looking at him before tossing something at him and yelling, “Catch.”

On reflex again Francis caught the object that was going to hit the floor if he hadn't caught it. No sooner did he fully grasped what looked like a polished stone, then he felt his body stiffen up and go slightly cold again. He looked down and he saw that he had apparently become a solid black stone version of himself, “What the heck, man. I had just gotten back to being flesh and blood and now you've made me turn myself to stone. Well, I'd say probably Onyx from the looks and coloration of my epidermis.”

“I was testing a theory, you had said that it was a natural ore that you had touched that had turned you into the metal man. I guess I was wondering if it would work on any other natural mineral. The onyx was just the most readily available source I had, it was a memento from a vacation I went on a few years ago. A piece of natural onyx,” Thompson said as he got up and was looking around the floor. “Now all you need to do is the concentrate and change yourself back to your normal body.”

“What a keen observation, Thompson wasn't it?”, Ford said as he came into the chamber from one of the tunnels that led off from this room.

“Grunkle Ford, how did you get here?”, Mabel asked as she ran up to hug him.

“Com'on Mabel, this was my bunker. I know nearly every one of these tunnels and all of the secret passages into it.” Ford said as he returned her hug. Then he again spoke to everyone in the laboratory, “There are actually entrances into the tunnel ways in several different areas trough out town.” he would've continued but he was cut off by Dipper as he ran back into the laboratory. 

“Mabel, have you checked your phone since the radio silence ended? I've got nearly 15 voice mails and quite a few texts.” Dipper yelled, “Something happened to Patrick & Jacob, they're in the hospital. Mom and Wildbill both called, they've been worried sick cause us and dad weren't answering our phones.”

“That was what I came to tell you two, we've found your dad.” Ford said turning towards Dipper.

“Grunkle Ford! Where? How?”, Dipper stopped dead in his tracks at seeing Ford.

“He was in the portable room, in his bed when we got back to the Shack.” Ford said matter-of-factly. “Stan had heard some noise out back and went to check on it. It was your dad snoring away.” 

“Wait. The Man in White has three creatures kidnap you three, has the creatures fight us, and releases dad like nothing ever happened. Are you sure it's him?” Dipper asked 

“I did a full DNA analysis on him, it's him.” Ford said as he walked over and inspected the stasis pods, “He appears to be in a deep sleep though. Nothing we tried was able to rouse him.” 

“That's not good. Mom is still trying to reach him and we need to reach her and Wildbill. Two of our friends have been seriously assaulted and one is in surgery as we speak.”, Dipper said as he tried to turn Ford around.

“Then we need to get back to the Shack and make those calls then. You may want to dress a little less outlandishly in case there are any customers at the Shack.” Ford said as he started heading down the tunnel.

“I'm gonna leave the Charger unit here for now,”

“Oh, yeah. Xolgsrmt'h Mlinzoxb!”, Mabel said as Tony, Francis, & her clothes returned to what they were at the beginning of the day. Dipper's fedora became to the trapper's cap that Wendy had given him at the end of the summer. 

“That feel's better, but maybe I should switch back to one of the Shack's Pine Tree caps. I don't want to take a chance of it getting destroyed,” Dipper said as he walked over to Wendy and took her hand. “When we get back I'm wanting you to do one of those analysis's on me. I need to be sure of something.”

“What are you getting at?” Ford said stopping.

“Well,” Dipper said as he turned into the shapeshifter before reverted back to being Dipper, “The shifter and I got into a fight and the Electron Carpet was involved. I need to know if I'm gonna be ok.”

Ford walked back to the first pod, the one containing Dipper. He pressed a few buttons on the side and they saw a needle slide into the arm of the frozen Dipper, “I'll take a sample from him too, just to be careful.” Grabbing the vial that popped out. 

**Mystery Shack 10 minutes later**

The eyes of the totem pole look around making sure there was no one around to see if there was anyone else around, seeing no cars in the lot the a giant stone near the Bottomless Pit lifted up reveling an elevator, Ford led the everybody out onto lawn. Once everyone was cleared he hit a button on the outside of the tube and the door closes and the stone lowers back into the ground. 

“Well that explains the rock standing in the middle of the lot that no one could move.”, Wendy says at it was lowering down. 

“Yes, there are a few other spots like this through out the town. I'll show them to you all later. Dipper, you better call your mother.” Ford said as he headed back into the Shack. 

“Mabel, you go check on dad and see if any of your magic can help him and why don't the rest of you go relax for a little bit, I need to check in with mom.” Dipper said as he pulled his phone out of his pants. Wendy stayed at his side as he dialed his mother.

**Piedmont, California  
Heritage Memorial Hospital ER**

Elaine Pines was just finishing up with a patient when she heard her phone go off. She looked at her caller ID and then headed to the front desk to tell them she was taking a break. 

As she headed into the break room she answered the phone, “Just where in the world were you young man? William and I have been trying to reach you. Your friends Jacob and Patrick are here, some one jumped them before the wrestling show they were going to work today. They both have several broken bones and Patrick is going to have to have surgery.”

“Not that I know of honey, the police are looking into it. William might know more, you may want to check with him.” Elaine said, “Have you heard from your father?”

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack backyard**

“We went exploring one of the areas caves, and lost phone reception for awhile,” Dipper answered his mother's first question, it really wasn't a lie at least on his part. He hugged Wendy as he listened to his mother.

Dipper, fearful for his friends asked, “Have they found out who did it?”

“Ok, I'll call him after I get done talking to you.” Dipper promised before answering her next question, “Apparently they left early this morning and someone, the Grunkles say dad, had set the bag they had their phones in on the edge of the boat and it fell into the lake. Dad was so tired after their trip he's in taking a nap. I'll try to have him call you later, ok. Love you too mom. I'll let you get back to work, keep an eye on my friends please. Thanks.” 

Once he was done on the phone Dipper hugged Wendy for a moment and then told her what his mom told him. When he was done they headed over to the Micro Hotel Room his dad was in to check on him before he called Wildbill. As he walked in they saw a glow coming from Mabel's hand and surrounding he and Mabel's father.

“Have you figured anything out?”, Wendy asked letting Dipper go over and stand by his father. 

“Well, it's definitely a magical sleep. He's perfectly fine other than that though,” Mabel replied once she released the glow. “I'm not sure what to do to reverse it though.”

She then looked back at Dipper and asked, “How'd it go with mom?” 

“Well, 'we were exploring a cave and lost reception' and 'dad and the Grunkles' phones were in a bag that fell off of the boat'. As for the other both Jacob and Patrick are in the hospital with multiple broken bones. But Patrick has the worst of it and is in surgery now.” Dipper said filling Mabel in on both cover stories so she wouldn't screw them up. 

“We need to get down there and take care of whoever did that to Patrick and Jacob, they're family and if Grunkle Stan has taught me anything it's you don't mess with our family.” Mabel said with a fire in her eyes that Wendy doesn't think she's ever seen in her lovable little friend before.

“Whoa slow down Mabs,” Wendy said slipping back into her calm & cool persona. “We can't go getting revenge on everyone.”

Mabel turned on Wendy and remarked, “Says the 'Spirit of Lumber Justice'. What would you do if it was Soos, Tambry, me, or even Dipper down in that hospital?” 

Wendy thought for a quick second and resignedly shrugged “I'd have the guys who did it in the hospital before you made it through the ER doors.”

“Damn right you would,” Mabel said before she realized what she said, she paused and then slapped her hands over her mouth and muttered, “I'm so sorry.”

“It's ok sis.” Dipper said as her pulled her into a hug. Wendy quickly joined them.

“Ok, this is definitely a different side of you Mabel, I sorta miss little miss sunshine and rainbows,” Wendy said as she held onto the twins.

“We need to go in and talk to everyone and I still need to call Wildbill.” Dipper said as he pulled out of the hug.

They headed out of the Micro Hotel Room and headed back into the Shack. Dipper pulled his phone back out as he walked, he looked up the number and dialed.

“Hey, I just talked to mom. How's everything on your end? We were exploring a cave and lost our reception, sorry to worry you two.” Dipper said as he talked to his godfather. 

“Dad's taking a nap, they apparently headed out before dawn for the fishing trip and someone knocked their phones in the lake,” he said as Manel was opening the back door.

They walked into the kitchen as he asked, “So has anyone figured out what exactly happened to Patrick and Jacob?”

**Piedmont, California  
Heritage Memorial Hospital ER parking lot**

“Dipper, your mom has told you about Jacob and Patrick? It's not good, but it's good to hear your voice.” William Hauser asked his godson and student. “Why'd it take so long for you to call us?”

He walked around to the passenger side of his truck while listening to Dipper's response. Once there he pulled the seat forward so he could get to the storage section he had behind it. He reached in and moved a the false panel he hid installed and pulled out a Colt Peacemaker he had hidden. He then asked, “What about your father, we've been trying to reach him too?” 

“We were setting up fro a show and I was wondering where the two of them were when Jacob came in carrying Patrick. He wouldn't let him go till I got over to him.”, William said as he pulled out a shoulder holster and put in on under the jacket he was wearing. He slid the revolver in feeling it's heft as it settled. 

“Well so far it's still being investigated, but a friend on the force told me they found Patrick's car in an alley a mile away from where we were have the show. So that meant he either carried him for a mile without anyone noticing them or someone dropped them off. One more thing, Jacob said they were masked and one of them was wearing a praying mantis mask.” William replied as he pulled a boot knife out and slid it's sheath in his boot. “Are you two doing ok up there? This can't be a coincidence.” 

“We'll be careful and call me if anything happens up there. I'm gonna follow your mom home and probably stay the night there to make sure nothing happens.” he told Dipper before he said, “Ok, we'll talk again later.” 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery shack**

“Are police doing anything?”, Dipper asked as Wendy handed him a Pitt Cola. “Some one would've surely seen something in that distance.”

“A praying mantis, really?” Dipper asked incredulously. “Yeah, nothing happening up here other than catching up with friends. I don't believe in them either.”

“We will, your be careful too.”, he added, “Thanks, I feel better knowing you'll be watching over her. Look I need to run to the store with Grunkle Stan to help get Dinner. Alright.” 

After he ended the conversation he headed with the girls to find everybody. Tony was in his room. Tambry, Thompson, and Pacifica were in the living room talking about video games of all things, while Francis and Candy were apparently down with Ford running the other Dipper's DNA. Stan was in his office after deciding he wasn't gonna go without at least one of his guns for awhile. And Soos and Melody were in the gift shop. 

“Guys, I think I need everybody the living room,” Dipper sent out in a mass text to Candy, Francis, Tony, and Soos.

Once Every body was there, with Soos grabbing Melody and Stan, while Candy and Francis brought up Ford.

“I called everyone here just to bring everybody up to speed,” Dipper said from the door way to the living room. He told Soos & Melody about the Island fights. Then he told everybody about the attack on his friends in Piedmont and the fact his dad was in a magical sleep. “And finally I wanted to tell everybody that Mabel and I are thinking of going down there, the quick way, to check on our friends and make sure we weren't the cause of the attack.”

“If you're going, I am too,” Wendy said resolutely.

“Count me in,” Pacifica added. Mabel reached over and hugged her while saying thanks.

“Might as well make it a full party,” Tony said as Francis nodded in agreement. 

“Are you all sure about this,” Ford asked not liking the fact his charges could be rushing into danger.

“Yeah, we are.” Dipper said with a steely look in his eye. “If they were hurt to get at us, I wanna know why?”

“So no talking you out of it, ok.” Stan said shrugging his shoulders. Ford shot him a look so he said, “They'd go with out our approval anyways, Sixer. I'm glad they're sticking up for somebody. Make me proud kids.”

“Then you need to get that armor charged and you need more samples to use if you need to.”, Ford said looking at Pacifica and Francis respectively, before getting up to head back to his basement. “Both of you follow me.” and they did.

“We'll head out tomorrow,” Dipper said, “Any questions?”

“Why not now?”, Mabel asked. 

“Because we need to be clear headed when we do this,” Dipper said, “And besides you still have a sleepover tonight or do you want to upset Grenda?”

“No, you're right.” Mabel said having completely forgotten about the slumber party at Candy's.

“Do you need me or Candy for anything tomorrow?” Tambry asked. 

“Well do you think you could get into the Piedmont Police Department's record to get a copy of the file on this case and maybe something else for me?” Dipper asked.

Tambry thought for a moment, “Probably.”

“Ok, thanks.”, Dipper replied.

“And Candy, I just need you, Grenda, Pacifica, and Mabel to have a good night ok.” Dipper smiled at Candy. 

Pacifica returned in full armor holding the helmet. “Alright guys, I've got to this back to the charging unit is there anything I still need to remember before I go?” 

“Only that we are going to party hardy tonight,” Candy said reminding her of the sleepover.

“Oh, yeah.” Pacifica remembered.

“If that's everything we'll meet back tomorrow at noon.” Dipper said as he headed out to the porch to sit and think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter would've been done earlier but I kept getting update that stories I was following were being updated all day today. ;-)  
> So next chapter we are heading back to Piedmont to find out who or what attacked the twins friends. I'm currently with out cable so I'm now writing everything from memory and using the Gravity Falls Wiki to help on the minutia I don't remember, so I hope I don't go too ooc on anybody. Thanks again to everybody who reads my story. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Three is up following Mrs Ruperts & James as they continue their search. And we learn what motivates them. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.  
> 19-15-13-5-20-9-13-5-19 6-1-13-9-12-25 9-19 6-15-21-14-4 23-8-5-18-5 25-15-21 12-5-1-19-20 5-24-16-5-3-20 9-20.


	27. Chapter 27

** Chapter 27 **

**Gravity Falls 9:00 PM  
Candy's House**

The girl's are all in Candy's room surrounded by piles of chocolate, pizza, DVDs and Grenda's mom's romance novels. There were also quite a few board games sitting in one corner. There was really just one problem, Grenda really seemed to be the only one in the mood for the sleepover.

“Come on girls, we need to party!”, Grenda said slamming the ground, “Party, party!”

“Yeah, sorry. Just got a lot of stuff going on,” Mabel said. “A couple of friends got beat up pretty badly.” 

“Who do I punch?!”, Grenda yelled.

“We don't know, the police haven't found out anything. But don't worry about it, let's get this party started,” Mabel said as she plastered a smile on her face and grabbed a slice of pizza. “What'll it be girls? A movie, a book, or a game?”

“Let us play a game,” Candy said. “I am not in the mood for books right now.” 

“Not even 'Hot Werewolf, Bare Chest X'?”, Grenda asked surprised 

“Sorry, other things on my mind,” Candy responded.

“Other things or maybe another person?”, Mabel asked 

“OK. Truth or dare or don't, it is,” Grenda said wrapping her arms around her friends. 

“Not this again,” Pacifica moaned putting her face in her hand.

“Again?”, Mabel asked.

“Yeah. So far I've had to kiss a Sev'ral Timez poster, let Grenda do my make up, and tell them about how Tiffany and Cameo threw my head into a toilet after they found out I was broke.”, Pacifica replied with her head hanging down.

“They did what!?”, Mabel Said jumping up like she was about to hunt down Pacifica's former hanger-ons.

“Oh, do not worry, Mabel. Grenda threw them into the lake once we found out.”, Candy said putting a hand on her friend to try and calm her down.

“Wait, you guys did what?”, Pacifica looked amazed of her friends had done to defend her, she threw her arms around Grenda and Candy and pulled them into a hug. “Thanks girls.”

“Glad to see all my girls are getting along now,” Mabel said still standing over her friends. “Well let's get to the game everyone. Who's first?” 

“Paper-rock-sissors, on three.” Grenda said, “One, Two, Three!” 

Grenda and Candy threw a Rock, while Pacifica and Mabel threw paper. Grenda and Candy threw again and this time Grenda won.

“Well Candy, you're first. Truth or dare or don't?”, Mabel asked. 

“Okay, dare.”, Candy said confidently.

“I dare you to call Francis and ask him out on a date,” Mabel said having already figured out who he had his crush on. 

“Ooh,” Grenda and Pacifica said 

“Are you sure?”, Candy asked looking anywhere but at her friends.

“Well the penalty is you have to eat a spoon full of peanut butter between two Salt N Vinegar Ringo chips.”, Grenda added.

Candy pulled out her phone and hit Francis's contact info.

“Wait, he's already in your phone?” Pacifica questioned looking at Candy and then at Mabel who shrugged.

Candy ignored the question and when he answered she asked, “Hi Francis, are we still on for the Museum when you guys get back from Piedmont? Good. I need to get back to the sleepover, have a good night.”

The other three looked at each other in shock before Mabel asked, “Ok, when did this happen? Details girl, details?”

“Well we were talking while everybody was gone yesterday and we discovered we both had an interest in the biological studies.”, Candy said as she started to blush, “He asked if I'd like to go to the museum and see the nature displays. And well it was the first time a boy asked me out so I said yes.”

“Wait, so I didn't get to be the matchmaker on this one?”, Mabel said with a shocked look on her face.

“Well you can't win them all,” Pacifica said patting Mabel's hand. “You're turn to ask now Candy.”

“Ok, Mabel. Truth or dare or don't?”, Candy said as she looked at Mabel. 

“Uhmm. Truth, no dare, no truth.” Mabel said somewhat nervously, she doesn't know exactly why but she just suddenly felt that way. “Final choice.”

“Okay, do you have a crush right now?”, Candy asked, “Remember the penalty.” 

“Well, I really don't know right now. After everything that happened over the summer, I've sorta sworn off boys right now.” Mabel said as she looked around at her friends, seeing understanding in Candy and Grenda's faces and was that a look of sorrow in Pacifica's?

“”Uhm, let's see, Grenda...” Mabel started to asked.

“Dare!”, Grenda interrupted.

“Ok, I dare you to eat a whole slice of pizza in one bite.”, Mabel proposed.

Grenda rolled the slice of pizza crust first making it look a little bit like a burrito and tried to fit it all in but she was unable to get it done and so she was the first to have to pay the penalty. She took the spoon of peanut butter and smeared it on the chips and took a bite. “It's actually not that bad gals, it sorta reminds me of an Indian dish though I can't remember the name of it. Alight Paz, what'll it be?”

“Well, ok. Hmm, dare.” Pacifica replied thinking they really couldn't make her do anything to embarrassing.

“Ok, I dare you...”, Grenda thought about it for a moment and realized she could dare her to do something that'll make her have to pay the penalty too, “to kiss Mabel.”

Candy looks at Grenda open mouthed, and Mabel is still processing what the dare was. Pacifica looked around at the group and then at the jar of peanut butter and the Ringo chips. Then while it looked like Mabel was still figuring it out she leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips. This just added to the info Mabel's brain was processing.

“Ok, that didn't go the way I thought it would,” Grenda said.

“Well remember how competitive I can be,” Pacifica said as Mabel was still looking off in space.

“Okay, I think you two may have broken Mabel.” Candy said as she tried waving her hand in front of the unresponsive Mabel. “Maybe we should take a break and put a DVD in to watch.”

The other two agreed and they decided to watch the latest Thirst Contests movie. Mabel finally processed everything in time to watch the movies opening scenes. The rest of the night turned out like any other one of their sleepovers, 

By the time they had all seemed to go to sleep Pacifica had decided to take one get up to take one last bathroom break. As she neared the bathroom door she heard a bit of mumbling in the room. She prepared to knock and ask the person to hurry up when she heard “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and saw a glow erupt from under the door. She quickly opened the door and saw the room was now empty.

**Mystery Shack Sunday November 18, 2012 8:35 AM  
Twins Room.**

The sun gleamed in the room. The light flowed in the circular window that Soos had put in after summer was over in order to not have the reminder of the pest the town had to endure at the end of summer. Dipper rolled over knowing he needed to get up but not really wanting to. Finally he reach over and grabbed his phone off of it's charger and looked at the time. He also saw he had a couple of texts and an Email waiting on him. The Email was the file he asked Tambry to look up last night.

He looked over the police report and noted a few things. First was that the show was being held at the Twins old grade school. Next was the condition of Patrick's car, both the front and back window were cracked with some blood on the shards, there were dents from where someone had bee thrown into the passenger door and the trunk lid, and finally the were cuts in the door and the hood like someone had taken a sword or something to it. The transcript of Jacob's interview held a few more bits of information. Patrick and Jacob had pulled into the alley because they thought they had seen someone jumping a friend (but he couldn't remember who the friend was). When they got into the alley thy jumped out of the car to help their friend, only for the friend to have dissapeared but there were still the three guys there. They no sooner realized their friend was gone before the three guys began attacking them. They were all wearing black hoodies and masks and two had on gloves. The officer doing the interview then noted that this was where he began to worry that Jacob was delirious from pain and medication. He said the ungloved one had a praying mantis head and green three fingered hands. The bulkier of the three also was supposed to be wearing two bracelets with a retractable blade on each. The green bug guy held a blade against his throat while Patrick was repeatedly slammed into and onto his car, once they were done with Patrick they began beating on him. When they thought they had us efficiently beat down one of them ran and backed a van into the alley and tossed the two of them out and tossed them in drove off. Next thing he remembered was carrying Patrick into the school. 

“Well that's interesting,” Dipper said to himself. “It almost sounds as if they were jumped by super-villains, but that's just crazy,”

“Talking to yourself, Dip?”, Tony asked standing in his doorway. With a smirk he added, “You know they say that's one of the first signs of insanity.”

“Very funny, Tony,” Dipper said not even trying to hide the sarcasm. “Come take a look at this and see if you get the same feeling I do.”

Tony walked over and looked at the file. Dipper had to suppress a laugh as he saw Tony's lips move as he read it. “Well, yeah. I agree it sounds like the guys who did this are thinking they're super-villains or something. Look I came up to tell you breakfast is ready.” 

“Alright I'll be down momentarily,” Dipper said as he went to check the texts.

Looking through them he saw he had two from Pacifica and one from Wendy, he opened the one from Wendy first: 'Hey Dip, I'll be there around 10:30. Dad want us to do a family breakfast at Greasy's.”

Next he opened the ones from Pacifica: 'Dipper, something weird just happened. After everyone seemed to be asleep Mabel went down the hall to the another room and then disappeared.'. The second was sent 45 minutes later: 'Mabel just showed back up”.

**Tambry's house 10:45 AM**

“So that's why I was looking for you yesterday. This whole Dr Nuit deal is worrying me.”, Nate said after he explained the what happened at the hospital yesterday. 

“Yeah, I'll look into it for you,” Tambry said as she fired up her laptop. 

**Mystery Shack 11:30 PM**

Dipper, Wendy, Tony, Francis, and the Stans are spread out across the Shack's living room waiting on the girls to come back from the sleepover. Dipper and Wendy are on the sofa talking to each other while the Clondike brothers are watching the premier Duck-tective episode with Stan. Ford I sitting on the steps tinkering on some sort of device he seemed to have been working on since last night. 

“So Mabel pulled a disappearing act last night?”, Wendy asked quietly.

“That's what Pacifica said texted, she said she was gone around 45 minutes. I don't know why, but I'm gonna ask her once she gets here. It's not like her.”, Dipper continued in hushed tones. 

“Dude, it sounds like an impulsive trip or something. Totally sounds like Mabes.”, Wendy whispered. 

“I dunno, after what's been happening I wouldn't think she would run off on her own.”, Dipper finished worriedly. 

Wendy pulled him into a hug and he returned it. 

Meanwhile

“So the Duck interferes in the case, makes the entire police force seem incompetent and all they do is keep him on as a consultant,” Francis questioned.

“Hah. Yeah, it really shows how useless most cops are,” Stan laughed as he slapped his knee. 

“You can say that again,” Tony said lightly punching Stan in the arm. 

**Outside the Mystery Shack**

“Thanks for the ride Mrs Chui,” Mabel said cheerful as ever after she and her friends got out of the car. 

“No problem, you girls have a good day.”, Candy's mom said before she pulled away from the Shack.

After watching her leave Mabel turned to the rest of the girls with a mean gleam in her eyes and spoke, “Alright girls, we have butts to go kick.”

Pacifica had never seen this side of Mabel. Candy and Grenda had seen it only once before, when they fought the Unicorns. They all were a little bit shocked at the change in their normally cheerful friend.

Mabel turned and walked inside the Shack with a determined stride. The rest of the girls followed her in not knowing what else to do with their friend. 

Once they were inside Candy went over and started talking to Francis while Pacifica walked over and immediately started talking to Dipper and Wendy. Mabel walked in and looked to see who was here and headed over to Ford. Grenda just sort of stood back and watched everything, feeling a little bit out of place.

Dipper finally got up and looked at everyone then spoke, “Alright everybody is here, I've come up with a plan of what we need to do.”

“Not another list bro, all we really need to do is find these sickos and send them the way of Bill!”, Mabel called from the other side of the room. Everyone turned and looked at her. Even Stan's jaw dropped.

“Mabel?!”, Pacifica looked questioningly at her friend, “You can't mean that?”

“Why not,” Mabel screamed back at her friend, “I'm tired of people attacking my friends and family. It's time to start hitting them back the way they hit us!”

When she was done she turned and ran out of the room, heading out to the parking lot. Dipper went to follow her only to see Pacifica and Wendy were already on her tail, with Pacifica actually out running Wendy. Wendy looks at him and mouths, 'We've got this.'

“Mabel, hold on.” Pacifica calls as she exits the Shack running after Mabel, “Wait, talk to me. Don't go.”

“Don't try to stop me,” Mabel says as she turns to look at her friends, “these animals need to pay!”

Pacifica reaches Mabel and grabs her by her shoulders, “Why are you saying this?”

“Yeah, Mabes. Why?” Wendy asked as she catches up to them. “You're usually the one restraining us from running head first into trouble.”

“Because,” Mabel said, “I've seen what they're willing to do! They're animals I tell you!”

“Why do you say that?”, Pacifica asked again, “Does it have anything to do with your disappearance last night?”

“No, yes, no. How'd you know about that?” Mabel asked momentarily shocked. “Were you following me?”

“No, I got up to go to the restroom and you were gone. Then I saw the flash of light in the bathroom. I stayed awake till I saw you come back, I saw you crying.”, Pacifica said as she tried to hug her friend.

“What were you doing Mabes?”, Wendy asked.

Mabel leaned into the hug from her friend, “I went to see them last night, I went to see Jacob and Patrick.” At saying that she broke down and started crying into the shoulder of her friend.

“I'm so sorry,” Pacifica said as she comforted her friend.

“These were two of the strongest, kindest guys I know and here they were laying broken and beaten,” Mabel said in between sobs.

“Were they able to tell you anything?” Wendy asked as she walked in and joined Pacifica in hugging Mabel.

“They were both heavily sedated,” Mabel continued sobbing, “all I could do was cast a spell to add in their healing.”

“We'll get them Mabel, but we can't kill them.” Wendy said, “That would make us no better than them. I'm gonna head back in and tell Dipper, please come in when you're ready. Take care of her.” 

“Thanks,” Pacifica said as Wendy turned and headed back towards the Shack

“Why are you doing this, Paz?”, Mabel asked after her crying had slowed down.

“You're my friend,” Pacifica said, “You've helped me stay grounded so many times and kept me from reverting into the old me. I couldn't stand it if you became some one you're not. I don't mind you becoming a little more serious, but this is too much.”

“Are you sure that's all?”, Mabel asked as she backed away from the hug.

“What do you mean?” Pacifica asked back.

“Nothing,” Mabel said, “Thanks for being here for me. Let's get back in there.” Mabel started walking back to the Shack. 

“Ok,” Pacifica said following her and wondering what Mabel had meant with that question.

**Back inside the Shack**

“So that's where she went last night,” Dipper said after Wendy explained the situation to him. 

“Yeah, she was all tore up. I left her with Pacifica, she seemed to be comforting her.”, Wendy said putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Well they have been helping each other a lot recently,” Dipper replied. 

He then pulled out his phone and dialed Tambry. When she answered he put it on speaker, “You with us Delphi?”

“Yep, but I don't know exactly know what help I'm gonna be when you are gonna be more than 500 miles away.”, Tambry replied. 

“Who knows, but better to be safe than sorry. You have anybody there with you today?”, Dipper 

“Nate and Lee are here, I'm doing a favor for Nate while you don't need me,” Tambry replied. “Robbie is helping his parents today and Thompson is on day shift today.”

Just then Mabel walked back in followed by Pacifica and she asked. “Alright bro-seph, what's this plan of yours?”,

“You ok, sis?”, Dipper asked looking at her puffy eyes.

“Yeah, let's just get this party started,” Mabel said with a forced smile. She pulled out a sticker that said 'Party Girl' and slapped it on her sweater. 

“Ok then,” Dipper said turning back his gathered friends and family, “Well first off Mabel, you're gonna have to teleport us to Piedmont, I'd suggest our old grade school's playground, that's where the show was at that Patrick and Jacob supposed to work. And if we can't get a trail from there the alley they got jump at is only a mile away. Once we get there we'll see if we can find any clues the police may have missed or if all else fails maybe you can find them mystically. Delphi can you try to get onto the Piedmont PD police band to keep us informed if there is any type of sighting that might help?” 

“Ok, got it bossman,” Tambry said with what sounded like a smile.

“The only other problem is gonna be that you and I can't be seen down there, too many of our friends know we are out of town. I can cover myself,” Dipper said shifting into a teenager wearing a black spikey hair, a Johnny Eagle skater shirt, and baggy pants. He looked like he was going for the stereotypical skater look, “but you'll need to figure out a disguise.” 

Mabel started to open her mouth to make a suggestion, but Dipper cut her off, “And no I don't think glasses and a fake mustache is gonna work.” 

“You're no fun,” Mabel said crossing her arms and blowing a raspberry at him.

“Maybe you can use one of your spells to cast some type of like glamor over yourself to keep people from recognizing you.”, Pacifica said trying to keep Mabel calm. Then she turned to Dipper and asked, “How am I gonna be useful, I can't just walk around with everybody in the CHARGER armor?”

“I may have got that covered for you,” Ford said as he finished the item he was working on, “this is a trigger device for a spatial fold manipulator I made based on designs I was working on while elsewhere. I was never able to get it to work on biological organisms, but it worked pretty good on mechanicals. Let me show you. Put this tag chip on the lamp over there.” 

He handed the chip to Francis who walked it over and stuck it on the lamp next to the couch. Once he sat back down Ford pressed the button on the trigger device and suddenly the lamp disappeared, then it reappeared sitting on the floor in front of Ford. 

“I gave Fiddleford one of the chips last night to install in the armor. It works on a satellite relay so you'll have no problem getting the armor down there. You just have to remember to not use it while you are still in the armor, it's not pretty.” Ford said handing Pacifica what looks like a car alarm key fob. “I'll have Fiddleford turn the chip on now that I have the remote finished.”

“I know,” Mabel said loudly, “Srwwvm Rwvmgrgb!” 

As the spell took effect Mabel's hair turned into a bright pink short bobbed hairstyle. Her sweater turned into a brick red hoodie and her skirt flowed down becoming a pair of black cargo shorts. Her facial features appeared to shift slightly with her jaw line becoming thinner and her nose becoming pug like with a metal ring in the left nostril. The final touch was her eyes going from brown to a sea blue. 

“There we go,” Mabel said as she did a spin to show off the look, “and I still could be your sister in case I slip up there.”

“Ok, let's go then.” Dipper said as Francis and Tony came over and joined the rest of the group. “And Mabel remember we only want the six of us to go this time”

“Alright,” Mabel said looking at her friends, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and in a flash of light they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bout of insomnia while writing this chapter. By the time I went to sit down and try to finish writing this chapter I was going on nearly 60 hours with out sleeping. I wrote for a little bit and realized I had turned Dipper into a purple scented marker so I decided I needed to put finishing the chapter off till after I had gotten some sleep. Luckily I no sooner shut everything down and laid my head on the pillow and I was out till nearly noon the following day. Luckily Dipper is now better and smelling like he should. ;-)
> 
> And again the character took a mind of their own and we now have to wait till the next chapter for them to be back in Piedmont. There still will be a little action in Gravity Falls, but it will mostly be in Piedmont. The sleepover was written near the end of the first 48 hours of the sleep deprivation but I still like how it came out (even if the one part may cost me a fan or two, it felt right). 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/??? - toxin/antitoxin, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Three is up following Mrs Ruperts & James as they continue their search. And we learn what motivates them. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.  
> 19-15-13-5-15-14-5 3-12-15-18-5 20-15 25-15-21 20-18-1-22-5-12-19 2-15-20-8 9-14 20-8-5 4-1-25 1-14-4 20-8-5 14-9-7-8-20.


	28. Chapter 28

** Chapter 28 **

**Piedmont, California  
Eggbert Elementary **

In the school playground in the middle of a domed jungle gym the 4 teens and 2 near teens appear as if out of no where. The play ground was surrounded by fence which in turn has a hedge of shrubbery on the outside of it. The only entrance to the play ground is the driveway the teachers use to park their cars at the far end of the parking lot. The Clondike twins were the first to get out of the jungle gym followed by Mabel and Wendy 

Dipper tapped his earbud, “We're here, Delphi think you can wipe or loop the security cameras till we we get away from the school. No point in getting our selves on camera.”

“Sure thing Shifter,” her heard Tambry say as well as the clicking of key strokes in her background, “Ok, that should be it. Hey I just thought of something, we still don't have a call sign for M.”

“Actually I have one, Charger gave it to me,” Mabel said rapping her earbud as she looked over at Pacifica with a smile, “Call me Glamur.” 

“I like it,” Tambry replied, “It has a mystical feel to it.” 

“Thanks,” Mabel replied she reached over and gave Pacifica's hand a squeeze.

“Alright guys, the doors to the gym are right over there across the parking lot. Follow me,” Dipper said as he lead the way.

The group walked up to the door that leads to the gym and began searching the area for anything that might help them. Wendy fell back and checked the parking for any fresh skid marks or tire treads. After a good fifteen minutes no one came up with anything so they decided to head on to the alley to see what they could find there. 

After making sure no one was looking they headed out of the drive way and began walking down the road heading towards the alley. Mabel and Pacifica led the way with Dipper falling back to the watch over everybody. The only two who really needed leading would be Wendy and Pacifica due to the Clondike twins having Dipper's memories of going to school here. 

Wendy realizing Dipper was in protective mode slid back and held his hand, “You gonna be ok?” 

“Yeah, I guess. I know we all are now capable of handling most of whatever can be thrown at us, but I'm still worried about what we'll do if we aren't ready,” Dipper said hanging his head low as he continued, “These guys were willing to beat two of of our friends nearly to death, possibly killed three families, and who knows what else. If they're willing to do that...”

“We'll take care of them,” Wendy said as she pulled him into a hug as they continued to walk, “And I don't mean the bad guys, I mean we'll take care of our friends and our families.” 

“Yeah,” Dipper smiled at her, knowing the sincerity of her remark. With a smile he adds, “You know I'm not used to hugging you at this height.”

“It feels ok here but only cause I know it's you,” Wendy replied leaning over and kissing his cheek. She likes that even looking like this he still blushes at her kiss. 

“Man I just realized how weird our little grouping looks. We have two punks, a valley girl, a greaser, a skater, and a grunge chic.”, Dipper said with a little laugh, “A real diverse bunch.”

Meanwhile at the front of the group

“So this is where you guys are from, huh?”, Pacifica asked as they led their rag tag looking group.

“Yeah, that was our grade school we just left,” Mabel said not wanting to remember any of the bad memories she had there, well actually it's more the bad memories that Dipper had there. It was at that school that he started to get bullied, it was there he went from the bright eyed guy that was always want to go out and have fun to the reclusive bookworm he was till this past summer. A lot of that was started by Jimmy Riva, he wanted to stop being the class bullies favorite target so he found out about Dip's birthmark and began mercilessly picking on him about it. Soon the class bullies began leaving Jimmy alone and went after Dipper. Thanks to Grunkle Ford's Journal and to Wendy he's came out of his shell. 

“One day we'll have to come down here as us so you can show me around,” Pacifica said taking in the sites as she walked with Mabel. 

“Uhm, Yeah we will,” Mabel said glad she had the hood up on her hoodie, cause for some reason she felt her cheeks blush at Pacifica's suggestion. 

“Not sure I like this look on you though, it really doesn't suit you,” Pacifica said looking over at her friend. 

“Well, luckily it's only temporary.”, Mabel said 

The group continued on until they finally reached the alleyway. After looking around to make sure they were fairly clear that there wasn't gonna be anyone watching them in the alley.

“Glamur, cover us,” Dipper said as he headed into the alley. 

“Ok,” Mabel said after everyone was in and she turned back to the entrance to the alley and said, “Kilqvxg Gsv Rnztv!”

And if you tried looking into the alley all you would see is the empty alley. Where as if you passed through the entrance you will see the teens searching the alley for any scrap of evidence the police may have missed.

“All right guys, we've got about 30 minutes or so. Let's make them count,” Mabel said as she started to look over every scrap of paper she could find in the alley. 

While Dipper reread the police report the rest seemed to take a different section of the alley and started to go over it with the skill of someone who knows their sibling stole their favorite toy and they just want to find it. Tony started looking in and around the dumpster down at the end of the alley, while Francis was checking the wall across from him. Pacifica was checking around up near the entrance going over the wall and whatever Mabel hadn't already picked up in her search of the area. Wendy searched the ground about half way down and was the first to find something. 

“Over here, I've found something,” Wendy called as she was kneeling on the ground, Dipper was the first to arrive followed by the others. “I've found where the car was parked, do you remember what type of car it was?”

“It was a larger car, around the size of Stan's El Diablo,” Dipper repiled.

They again spread out around the length of the area the car should have covered. It was Dipper who found the threads snagged by an old bolt fastened into the wall where a sign once hung, they were the same shade that the police report said the attackers were wearing. He put in a ziplock baggie he had brought for something like this. They continued looking for a bit and other than some glass possibly from Patrick's car. 

“Ok, well the only thing we've got is these threads. Do you two think you can work with them?”, Dipper ask Wendy & Mabel after the group had gathered in the middle of the alley to share their findings.

“Hmm, that's not much to work with,” Wendy said, “Right now I'm not sure how much my Sense of Justice will work down here.”

“Well I may be able to work with it,” Mabel said as she began going through the spells in her head. 

“What do we have here?” a voice from the opening of the alley.

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack**

Stan and Soos are out leading separate tours of the Mystery Shack and the grounds, while Melody is manning the gift shop. Ford and Candy left shortly after the crew went to Piedmont, heading to Fiddleford's mansion to start working on a plan that he and Dipper came up with last night. Grenda volunteered to keep an eye on the twin's father. Tambry was at her house, down in her computer room working on one of her several terminals she had running. 

“And here we have the Serene Salamander” Soos was saying as he showed off an taxidermied Iguana with a stitched up smile and a cleverly hidden propane tube slightly stuck out of the middle of it's back that stayed constantly lit while the tours were run. 

“And for the final item on display, we have a petrified tree spirit,” Soos said showing off the stone Leshy that the gang had brought back to the Shack after every body had healed. They had no idea why it hadn't been freed when the basilisk was killed. Stan was the one who decided to add it to the displays.

“And that concludes our tour, please take time to check out our gift shop and find that gift your family needs,” Soos said as he guides the tour group into the gift shop. 

As the tourists began to disperse and walk around the gift shop one sharply dressed older lady and a teenager walk up to Soos and said, “Thank you, Mr Mystery. I'm sorry to see the original Mr. Mystery is no longer with the Shack, I knew him a long time ago and used to love coming on his tours.”

“Thank you, Ma'am. But the Original Mr. Mystery is still here, he's just running the external tour today. I'm Soos Ramirez, the new Mr. Mystery and the new Manager of the Shack. So you say you used to know Stan? What was he like back then, I'm always interested in tales from his past.” 

“Ramirez? Why are you related to Arcelia Ramirez, by any chance?”, The woman asked as she changed the topic and took another look at the former handyman. 

“Yes, that's my Abuelita. Did you know her too?”, Soos said ecstatically.

“Why yes, I used to run a book store here in town a couple of decades ago. Well where are my manners, you've introduced yourself,” the woman said as she held out her hand which Soos gladly shakes, “I'm Mrs. Gillian Ruperts and this is my grandson James.” 

“Pleased to meet you Mrs Ruperts and you too James.” Soos said as he turned and offered his hand to the young man. James looked at the offered hand for a moment before taking it.

“Well, Mr Ramirez, it was a pleasure to meet you. Tell your Abuelita I said hello for me,” Mrs Ruperts said as she turned towards the exit, “I must go, maybe I'll see Stan on my way out.”

“Well have a good day Mrs. Ruperts and you too James.” Soos called after the woman who said she was a friend of his Abuelita.

Mrs Ruperts headed out the door, into the parking lot as she walked she turned and looked out into know full well what secrets it truly hides. Turning to James she shook her head at his unasked question. 

“There is still one here I wish to check and then we shall go back into the woods to see what else we can find there,” She said looking back at the woods.

“Certainly, grandmother,” He responded to her. 

“Thank you folks and don't forget to visit our gift store,” Stan Pines said as the tour he led was coming back to the front of the Mystery Shack. He started to follow them in before he looked out into the parking lot and stopped as if he had seen a ghost.

“Gillian, is that you?”, Stan said as he stumbled backwards as if someone had punched him in the chest. 

“Why hello, Stanford.” Gillian said as she walked towards him, “It's been ages.”

Soos, who had been standing at the door to greet Stan after his tour, rushed out after seeing his mentor nearly fall over, “Mr. Pines are you ok?” 

“Yeah, Soos. Just a bit of a shock,” Stan said as Soos helped him up to his feet, “I just feel like I've seen a ghost.”

“A ghost, Mr. Pines?”, Soos questioned as he turned to look at where Stan was looking, “Why she said she's Mrs Ruperts and that she knows my Abuelita and you.”

“Of course she knows me Soos,” Stan said as he continued to stare at the Mrs. Ruperts, “you're looking at the woman who stole my heart, the ex-Mrs Stan Pines.”

**Piedmont, California  
The alleyway**

“So what are you doing here?” The voice at the end of the alley asked.

“We don't have to answer you,” Tony said defiantly as headed towards the opening of the alleyway.

“Wait,” Mabel asked as she reached out and grabbed Tony by the arm, “How are you able to see us?”

“Well, why shouldn't I be able to see you Mabel?”, the voice asked.

“Wha?!” Mabel said as she now backed away from the voice. 

“Just like I know the one holding the redheaded lumberjill's hand is Dipper,” the voice answered.

“Hmm, there's only four people down here that would know to call her that and two are in the hospital and the third is working at one. Isn't that right Wildbill?”, Dipper asked the voice.

“Yes she is, Dipper.”, Wildbill says as he steps through the illusion and looks over everyone, “And she's safe.”

“How were you able to see us, Unka Cowboy?”, Mabel asked as she stepped forward some with some defiance in her voice. “No one should have been able to see through that without being a supernatural creature of sometype.” 

“Well we all have are own little secrets now don't we?”, Wildbill said with a smile, “Sort of like how you didn't tell me you were a magic user or how your brother forgot to tell me he could change his shape.”

“How do you know I'm not covering him too?”, Mabel asked.

“Well I've seen through the alley cover and your own illusion, but Dipper here is just in a different form.”, Wildbill said as he approached the group, “And it better be Dipper holding her hand, or you'd be letting her cheat on your own brother which I don't see that happening.” 

“Damn straight she wouldn't and I wouldn't do that to him,” Wendy said as Dipper started to hold her back. 

“Besides what type of godfather would I be if I couldn't recognize my godchildren.” Wild bill continued, “You each have your own unique scent.”

“Huh?”, Pacifica said trying to process what's going on here, “How were you able to smell them all the way over there?” 

“The nose knows.” Is all Wildbill said as he tapped his nose. 

“Well what are you doing here anyways?”, Francis asked

Meanwhile Dipper was still processing what his godfather said, 'I still have my old scent? How is that possible?'

“Well actually I was asking them that first,” Wildbill said pointing at the twins, “last I heard the two of you were up in Gravity Falls with your father and his Uncles. And that was just last night.”

“We came down here to find out who did this to Jacob and Patrick,” Mabel said looking him straight in the eyes, “they're family and you don't mess with our family.”

“Mabel honey, you do know that's a dark road you're trying to head down.”, He said looking back into the eyes of his goddaughter.

“I don't care,” Mabel said, “I saw them last night Unka Cowboy. They didn't deserve this, they were just being good guys. Just trying to help.”

“And how do you know this even involves you guys?”, Wildbill asked looking them all over again.

“Because like you've said before, there really is no such thing as coincidences,” Dipper replied flatly.

“You've got me there,” Wildbill agreed with a smirk. “So did you find anything the police missed?” 

“Yeah, we did,” Dipper said still wary of how relaxed his godfather was taking all of this in, “We found a few strands that look to come from a shirt or hoodie like Jacob described in the police report.”

“You've seen the report, how?”, Wildbill said impressed. 

“We all have our secrets,” Dipper replied returning his godfather's earlier smirk. 

“Touche,” Wildbill shook his head with smile. “Well if we're gonna find out who did this we need to get going.”

“Wait, you're not gonna try to stop us?”, Mabel said incredulously.

“No, I'm looking for them too.”, Wildbill said adjust his duster. Wendy noticed a holster tied to his left leg and another bulge under his left arm. 

“Well then, let's get started,” Dipper said handing the baggy over to Mabel. 

She reached into the bag and pulled out one of the strings, “Everybody take my hold hands, Tfrwv Nv Gl Nb Vmvnc!”

A blue light surrounds them all and the next thing they knew they were standing outside a small warehouse. 

“Ok, why aren't we where the bad guys are?” Francis asked before noticing that Mabel was down on the ground, “Mabel?”

“Are you ok sis?”, Dipper yelled rushing over to her.

“Yeah, they've must have some type shield blocking it from direct teleportation.” Mabel said as she lifted herself off of the ground. 

“Well then they maybe ready for us now. Hope you won't be too surprised here Unka Cowboy,” Dipper said as he then shifted into his Shifter form and dropping his voice down an octive, “Let's get ready for them.”

Wildbill watched as Pacifica pulled out her keyfob and pushed the button called the CHARGER unit, while Wendy pulled out her ghostly ax, and Mabel shouted “Xolgs Lu Kilgvxgrlm!” causing the other three's costumes to form. Francis reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out the onyx stone the had down at the bunker and pressed it against his bare arm turning himself to stone. Tony helped Pacifica up int the torso of her suit, then she slapped on her voice modulator and finally she closed up the armor.

“Well you sure are an interesting group,” Wildbill said rubbing his chin.

“And none of this seems weird to you?”, Francis asked looking at the stereo-typical cowboy that has joined the group.

“Kid I've lived and wrestled around the world, believe me when I say this isn't the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Hell, this could be fun.” He then pulls out a bandanna from his dusters pocket and tied it around his face for a classic desperado look, plus a pair of studded knuckle gloves. “Well alright kids let's play.”  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The adventure in Piedmont has just begun and we've had a few more surprises pop up in this chapter. Still working off the time delay caused by my insomnia earlier in the week. Tuesday I should be back on schedule. Next chapter the Gravity Heroes and Wildbill meet up with the people who attacked Patrick and Jacob and what will happen then. Plus what has Tambry been doing while the GH are out of town, will Nate find out anything more about Dr Nuit. Also we will see the confrontation between Mrs Ruperts and Stan, will we find out any juicy details. We'll have to wait and see. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/??? - toxin/antitoxin, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Three is up following Mrs Ruperts & James as they continue their search. And we learn what motivates them. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far.  
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on


	29. Chapter 29

** Chapter 29 **

**Gravity Falls  
Tambry's Lair**

Tambry is sitting in front of a bank of computers typing away, so far other than looping the video feed at the school she hasn't had to do much for the gang down in Piedmont, so she has been trying to find out anything about this Dr Nuit that Nate swears drew blood from him at the hospital. So far she's combed the hospital records and so far she hasn't found anything. There isn't even a Dr Nuit in the state Oregon from the records she's checked. She thought of going ahead spreading out her search, but really what would be the odds of a doctor from out of state coming to a backwater town like Gravity Falls. 

“Well have you found anything?”, Nate asked for the fourth time since he and Lee showed up this morning. 

“Nothing,” Tambry replied, “There's not one in the whole state.” 

“What?”, Nate asked, “None at all?”

“Whoa man, must have been a vampire that sucked your blood.” Lee said jokingly.

“After everything we've heard from Dipper and what we've seen don't joke about that,” Nate said with a shocked look, then he rubbed his chin looking thought fully. “Then again.”

**The Bunker**

“So yer sayin' that Dipper wants ta turn the Bunker here inta a base ta work out of for his lil group?” Fiddleford stood looking around at the underground zone. 

Ford was cleaning up the cryogenics room as he spoke, “If they are gonna continue with this foolishness, I'd really want to make sure they are properly prepared and have a place to feel safe. Plus this way Charger won't always be seen coming and going from your place. With your reputation of creating mechanical contraptions, I'm surprised you weren't suspected after the first sighting.” 

“Why, shucks. I see your point,” Fiddleford said as he pulled off his hat, “Well con-sarn it, we'll have ta either move the CHARGER unit recharger down here or build ah second one.” 

“One of the first items Dipper wants done is for us to find a new place to put the cryogenic capsules,” Candy said as she started, “Preferably with recessed power cables as to keep people from accidentally unplugging them.” 

“Well several of the tunnels down here are dead ends, I'm sure we can find one with enough space to host the cryo-tubes.”, Ford said as stopped working and began to map out the bunker in his head, “We also could easily put in a bedroom for each of them, a training room, a computer station for Tambry, a kitchen, a laboratory,” Ford kept muttering to himself as he started walking down one of the tunnels.

**Piedmont, California  
Warehouse district**

“Alright Charger are there any skylight or doorways on the roof that we could use?”, Shifter asked as he and Wildbill were watching from the opposite ends of the alley they were in. The plan was to if possible come in from the top and try to gain the element of surprise. 

_“None that I can see, it looks like the only access to the roof is from a fire escape ladder on the back of the building. We may have to go in through one of the doors,”_ Charger called back. 

_“I'll try to ghost in and see if I can find another entrance,”_ Will O' offered.

“Forget that. I say we just bust in there and rush them before they know what's hit them,” Freerunner responded as he paced up and down the alley.

“No we need to have a plan,” Shifter said as he tried to figure out the best way to enter the building.

“Fat lot of good that usually does you,” Freerunner muttered antsy to get to the fight. 

“What was that?”, Shifter asked as he turned towards Freerunner.

“Guys, guys. We need to be level headed here,” Flux spoke stepping in-between the two, “Save the aggression for those who deserve it.” 

“You're right,” Shifter said as he went back to the front of the alley, “Alright here's what we're gonna do. Glamur, Charger, Freerunner, and Flux go try the back door. Will O', the Desperado there,” he said pointing to Wildbill, “and I will take the front. Once inside we work our way towards the middle and take down anyone in the way. Any Questions?” 

Freerunner and Flux were all ready down at the other end of the alley motioning for Wildbill to meet up with Shifter. Glamur started to head that way but looked back at her brother before she continued on to the end. Will O' met him and once Wildbill arrived they headed towards the front entrance. Once they made it to the door, Shifter put his hand to the door and shifted his hand into the lock to make a key. Once the door was unlocked they made there way into the abandoned warehouse building.

“We're in.” Shifter said as he tapped his earbud.

Meanwhile at the other end Charger landed as the other three made it to the door, Glamur was all set to try and unlock it with a bobby pin when Flux just turned the handle and opened the door. Just inside there was a hallway that seemed to lead into the main warehouse.

“Spoilsport,” Glamur said as she stuck her tongue out at Flux.

_“Ok. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but am I the only one who thinks that was too easy?”,_ Charger asked as she was the last one through the door. 

As soon as she finished saying that six guys with guns stepped into the hallway they were in and opened fire. 

“You had to say that,” Flux said as he and Charger started towards the men shooting. Charger was on the far right of the hall while he ran up the left side.

“Nbhgrx Hsrvow!”, Glamur called out as she and Freerunner ducked behind the shield that she created in the middle of the hallway. 

Most of the bullets seemed to flying wide of the two heroes rushing at the gun men. Seeing the progress the others were making Glamur pushed the shield forward and the two behind it moved forward as well. Charger raised her left hand and let loose a Tesla blast towards the guys that seemed to be making the most shots that connected with Glamur's shield. One fell to the ground twitching, but the other ducked back behind the wall so she punched through the corner of the wall and grabbed him and quickly jerked her hand backwards slamming him head first into the wall.

Flux neared the end off the hall when he heard “Duck” and felt someone pushing on his shoulders, as he looked up he saw his brother had leapfrogged over him and tackled two of the gun men. He grabbed a third and crushed the barrel of the punks gun. He then delivered an uppercut sending the guy flying. Freerunner on the other hand had already gotten back to his feet and kicked on guy in the head, before punching the other as he tried to get up.

Glamur dropped the shield and yelled, “Yivzpwldm!” at one of the guns causing it to rust nearly instantly. She then sprung forward while the man was trying to figure out what had happened and kicked the gunman right in his mid-section. Once he was bent over she delivered a right hook that knocked him to the ground. 

At the same time at the front of the building the door the group entered was separate from the loading and seemed to house some of the offices. Will O' and Shifter moved together checking the offices as they went, while Wildbill stayed back watching for any surprises. They had just finished with the third office when they heard the gunfire. Without thinking Shifter suddenly ran off towards where he thought his sister was in danger passing the final office. He no sooner made it to the end of the hall before he took a baseball bat to his gut. The punk who connected the blow went for a second hit only for it to be stopped by the handle of an ax. Will O' grabbed the bat and jerked it and the punk over Shifter against the opposite wall. 

Two guys popped out from the last office and were attempting to jump them from behind only to have Wildbill tackle them. He decked the guy on his left and threw the other guy head first into the door they had just came through. 

As Shifter stood up another two goons rushed towards him, when the first got with-in range he threw a straight kick into the man's mid section. As the other man swung the pipe he was carrying, Shifter brought his arm up and blocked the swing at the guys wrist. He quickly grabbed the arm and brought it down across his knee that resulted in the pipe falling to the floor. The goon tried to bring up his knee to Shifter's gut, only for it to not be there but for a pointy coned little man standing in Shifter's place. “I always wondered if this would work.”, Shifter said as he jumped cone first into the goons crotch. The man screamed in an octave higher then should be humanly possible. As he hit the ground Shifter, back in his regular form, sent a strong kick across his jaw knocking him cold. By then the other guy was behind him and attempted to take another swing at him only to catch the flat end of an ax across his nose.

“Thanks,” Shifter said to Will O', “that's another one I owe you.” 

_“Eh, who's keeping track anyways,”_ Will O' said with a smirk as she checked over him to make sure he was fine. 

They turned to look for Wildbill and saw him coming out of the office the two goons he tackled had come from. There was only one of the goons still in the hall.

“You ok?” Shifter asked his godfather. 

“Yeah, the one I punched apparently had a stronger jaw than I thought. As I was checking on his friend he pushed me through the doorway and we fought in there for a moment.” Wildbill said as he put his hat back on and straightened the brim. 

_“Well let's get on with this,”_ Will O' said as she led them down the hall. 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack front lot**

Both Soos and James were standing in shock as they looked back and forth between the two people in front of them. “When, how, why am I just learning about this?” was all Soos could think to say.

Remembering his cover story, James looked over to his 'Grandmother' and asked, “Is this why you brought me here Grandma, am I here to meet my grandfather?”

Hearing this seemed to shake Stan to the core, “Wait, Gillian, is this true? It wold explain the year you spent with your sister in New England.” 

“Stan, we were only married for 6 hours and not even under our own names cause you were banned from Atlantic City,” Mrs Ruperts came back with.

“Yeah, but only after we were together for nearly seven years. Eight if you count the one you spent with your sister.”, Stan fired back, “Man I could've had a child and a grandchild all this time and never known it.” 

“Stan, if anything he's would be you step grandchild. His father grew up with my sister and he was eight when we met.” She said getting into his face. 

Soos readied himself in case he had to pry the two of them apart.

“You mean the entire time we were together you had a kid and you never told me,” Stan said as he got angrier and started to pull back his arm.

James looked ready to run over and deck Stan before he could get physical with his mentor.

Stan suddenly smiled as stopped himself, “Ah, hell you know I'd never hit a lady.” 

“I know,” Mrs Ruperts said as she pulled him into a big hug, “you big softy. I used to have to do it for you. Ha.” 

“Yeah, you did.”, Stan said he hugged her back. After they broke apart he asked, “So what have you been up to for the last twenty years?”

“Oh, just traveling the world and visiting old friends,” She said with glint in her eye. 

**Piedmont, California  
Heritage Memorial Hospital ER**

Elaine Pines walking from room to room checking on her patients, when a doctor comes up to her, “Hello Nurse Pines, I'm covering for Dr. Corazon. His sister had a heart-attack last night and he flew out last night to be with her, I'm Dr. Claire Nox. I've been told you're the head ER nurse for this shift.”

“Oh no. I'm sorry to hear about Enrique's sister. It's good to meet you, Dr. Nox. I just wish it had under better circumstances.”, Elaine said shaking her hand, “So how do you know Enrique?”

“Enrique and I went to school together. I heard of the tragedy, so I volunteered to come cover his shifts. Normally I work at St Brigid's,” Dr. Nox said.

“Elaine, we have an auto accident victim coming in now,” one of the other nurses called.

“Well duty calls. See you around, Dr. Nox,” Elaine said rushing away, “On my way Crystal.”

“That you will, Elaine Pines, that you will,” Dr Nox said as she turned a corner.

**At the warehouse**

“Forget this man,” one of the last group of punks that had been attacking Shifter and company yelled to someone up in the rafters, “you told us we'd be jumping some punk kids, not fighting a group of freaking Offenders wannabes. We're out of here.”

“Really that's too bad, we were just starting to have fun watch all of this,” a voice called back. “Well you know the old saying, 'You can't quit cause you're fired!' Ha, ha, ha.” 

As the last words were said a ball of fire flew down and engulfed the punk who had done the yelling. The other six scattered as fast as they could, running to try to exit through the dock doors. Out of the rafters three shapes dropped down behind them. In a flash of silver, green, and flames these six perished for their perceived cowardice. 

“Well done my boys, now it's time to wait for our little friends to show up.”, a man in all red leather said as he stepped in behind them, “then we can really party.” 

“You four just killed people and you want to party?”, Shifter questioned as the Heroes arrived on the scene.

_“Murders, you will face Justice!”,_ Will O' roared as saw the dead at the feet of the villains.

“And who are you to decide what is Justice, my dear.”, The man in the red leather motorcycle racing suit said, “I have dealing out 'justice' for my mistress since before the time of the Tsars, I am Polden' Solntse, the second knight in her service. And these are my Squires; Reaper, Bugz, and Hot Stuff.” 

The three figures that are with him step forward. The first was about five foot eight and had a solid stocky build, he was wearing a what looked like baggy black pants and what looked like a tight hooded grim reaper styled shirt. There was a single two foot long scythe like blade attached to each wrist and his skin was a sickly pallid gray. But the most frightening part of his appearance is the fact that no matter how you looked into his hood you could see neither his face or the inside of the hood, it was just a void. 

The second was nearly six foot two and thinly built. He was completely grass green, with a hard carapace covering his body, and the head of a praying mantis. Each of his four arms ended with three razor sharp fingers and finally he appeared to have wings. 

The final one looked like he could have just stepped out of a modeling shoot, at six foot and muscled but lithe looking, and sandy blond hair. He had on what looked like a pair of designer dress pants, a button up shirt with flames across the shoulders and down the arms, and a flame designed phantom of the opera styled mask. 

“Well boys, let's not be rude. Go entertain our guests,” Polden' Solntse said as he began a cackling laugh. 

The one named Hot Stuff headed towards Glamur throwing a ball of fire straight at her only for Charger to jump in front of it. “Stay out of this,” He yells throwing another ball of fire at Charger, “this is between me and her, I'll deal with you later dip-stick.”

Reaper slowly but surely walked towards Shifter and Will O' while sliding his blades against each other. “It doesn't matter if you are a specter or a creeper, you all still have to dance with the Reaper.” 

Bugz jumps over seven feet into the air and lands behind Flux. Using his four arms he grabs him and throws him into Freerunner, “Thiz zhould be fun.”

“Well I guess that leaves you and me,” Wildbill says as he pulls out his peacemaker and aims at Solntse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As seen in this chapter once they are in the field I will be only using their code names, mostly to keep from messing them up and also so if they ever use their real name in the field you'll know they messed up. Dipper's plans have started and if Ford has anything to say about it soon the bunker will become The Bunker. Stan and his ex seemingly are on good terms. Tambry's search for Dr. Nuit has come up short and Nate is beginning to really worry. Adam Pines is still in a blissful sleep. And the Battle has Started between the Gravity Heroes and the Red Knight and his Squires. What will unfold in the next chapter? 
> 
> On a personal note I was binge watching the 90's Flash series as I was writing this and still have one more disc to finish. I highly recommend it if you love pre nightmare 52 DC stories or classic auto's. This version of Central City had 90's model cars driving along cars from the 40's on and made seem like they were just every day vehicles not classics. And Mark Hammill as James Jesse aka the Trickster is a great performance. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/??? - toxin/antitoxin, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Three is up following Mrs Ruperts & James as they continue their search. And we learn what motivates them. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. As soon as I am able to get my computer to somewhere with wifi, I'll get them up and post a link. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU.   
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream (formerly A Pleasant Dream). It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.


	30. Chapter 30

** Chapter 30 **

**Piedmont, California  
Warehouse**

After taking the last fireball and the comment the came with it, Charger rushed towards Hot Shot, _“What did you call me you blond gigolo?”_

“What? You don't remember me, Dip-stick? I'm wounded, absolutely wounded,” Hot Shot said as he dived to the side and let loose with a wall of fire where he had just been standing, “Maybe your sister has remembered me, but probably not. You were always the brains of the outfit. She was just the pretty face.” 

Charger flew through the wall of fire and turned in time to see Hot Shot send a dragon made of fire towards Glamur and to hear her call out “Nrhgb Nrhhrov!” and see two orbs of icy water fly straight into the dragons face dispersing it.

“Remember you,” Glamur said as she prepared another spell, “nope, sorry. No arrogant blond guys in my past, other than puppet boy.” 

“So you really haven't figured it out, a shame to be sure,” Hot Shot said shooting another fireball her way. 

“Wrhp Lu Vmvtb!”, Glamur called as a circular disk of electricity forms as if it was a small shield blocking the fireball.

“Well my pretty little girl had definitely learned some new tricks,” Hot Shot said with a smirk.

Meanwhile

“Thiz iz gonna be fun,” Bugz clicking his mandibles. Seeing the stone like body of Flux as he rises, he instead heads to attack the still prone Freerunner. He jumps into the air again, close his fingers on each arm, and attempted to skewer Freerunner as he landed. Freerunner rolled the his left before he landed and from his left Flux jumped shoulder first into Bugz exposed hip. Freerunner preformed a kippup and quickly joined the fray.

Freerunner got to them as Flux was getting up. Using his brother as fulcrum Freerunner flipped over him landing feet first into Bugz back. 

“Bloody hell. For as skinny as this guy is, he feels as solid as a brick wall,” Freerunner said as he tucked and rolled out of his landing before coming back up to his feet. 

“I know, I'm gonna switch up. Stone may not work for this guy, “Flux said as he pulled a sample out of one of his right pouches and slapped it to his left arm. Once the contact was made he turned from black onyx to a dull iron sheen. 

Without getting up Bugz skittered away from the two brothers and then made it back to his feet, “It zeemz I'm going to have to take thiz fight more zeriouz than I thought.” 

Elsewhere

Shifter had ducked back away from his opponent and drew him into a more enclosed space where he hopefully will have less room to swing the long blades on his arms. Will O' had ghosted through the wall of the hallway Shifter had traveled down as to hopefully be able to flank this short giant of a man. As he came closer to Shifter, he decided it was time to shift into a Sasquatch in order to hopefully gain a strength advantage. 

“Take whatever shape you wish, it matters not to the pain I dish,” the Reaper intoned as he drew near. He swung his left arm at Shifter who got his arm up in time to grab the Reaper's wrist.

Will O' slipped out of the wall behind Reaper and swung her ax at his shoulder. Reaper swung his right arm up and blocked her blow. This distraction provided Shifter with enough time to throw a punch into his stomach. No sooner as he did that Will O' dropped down and swept he leg around to knock Reaper's feet out from under him. As soon as he had landed Shifter shifted into the Mutibear and began slashing at him. 

Grabbing Shifter's arms Reaper pulled upwards kicking with his feet throwing Sifter towards Will O'. Mid-flight Shifter became a lillputtian and safely landed in Will O's hand.

With a wink Will O' said, _“Well that's another one you owe me.”_

Yet another battle

Pulling the trigger on his peacemaker, Wildbill fired a shot at Solntse. “Well let's dance you red breasted poppycock.”

Leaving but a vague image of himself the Red Knight had moved nearly ten feet to his left and seemingly pulled a war-club out of nowhere. It was two feet long from the top of the handle to the tip of the club and covered with blades of diamond, ruby, and obsidian. “Do you want to waltz or shall we tango?” 

Wildbill ran forward firing off two more shots as he moved towards Solntse. Solntse meanwhile had not stood still, he moved in closer to Wildbill and swung the war-club at him. Wildbill brought up his pistol and blocked the blow though it knocked the gun out of his hand. Rolling through Wildbill came up behind Solntse and delivered a swift kick into the spot that Solntse had just been. 

“Well Wilhelm, how long has it been since we last danced this dance?”, Solntse asked as he again swung at Wildbill. “It was Hamburg if I remember right, thirty no forty-five years ago.” 

“What are you going on about?”, Wildbill asked as he swung his fist at Solntse connecting for the first time.

“Oh, so your memories have not awoken yet? That is too bad, who know what will happen this time,” Solntse said as he swept Wildbill's feet from under him. As he rose, he quickly brought the down onto the spot next to Wildbill's head. “Come on old friend, fight back.”

“Oh, I'll fight all right. But I'm no friend of yours,” Wildbill said as he did a kippup, he then swung another kick towards Solntse missing again.

**Gravity Falls  
Inside the bunker**

Fiddleford is down on the ground in one of the far dead-end tunnels seemingly scrapping at the ground, “Well then, this here tunnel seems ta be stable enough I reckon. We'll need ta run the power lines in here first and then rig up a temporary power source to keep them frozen during the move.”

“That should be easy enough, I'm actually thinking of getting a secondary source to run in here so if the power ever does go out these will still be running.”, Ford said as he was going over the walls of the tunnel, “I'm also thinking of putting in a reenforced walls and a biorhythm locked door. If we end up putting the worst in here I don't want them having a chance of escaping.”

“Yepp'in, I can see the reasoning bahind that,” Fiddleford said rubbing his chin. 

“We also need to start thinking about how to make it so the kids can get in easier but still keep out anyone else,” Ford said. “And maybe a computer set up for Tambry and a Laboratory for Candy.”

“It'll take a bit o work, but I'm a sure we'un can get this here place fix'd up right good.” Fiddleford said slapping his knee.

**Piedmont, California  
Warehouse**

Shifter, in the form of a Manotaur, had just knocked the Reaper off of his feet. He was reaching down to grab his ankles when Will O' appeared behind him and suddenly pulled him backwards, preventing Reaper from slicing off his head. _“Close one, don't want to lose you so soon either.”_

Reaper started to sit up when Will O' ran up and delivered a fierce kick to where his head should be. She still connected but her foot seemed to disappear before reappearing on the other side of his head. 

“That was interesting,” Shifter remarked.

_“You're telling me,”_ Will O' said still not completely believing it, _“I know I hit something, but it looked like I ghosted through him when I did that.”_

“”Well we still have to take him down,” Shifter called while rushing at him again. 

Crossing the blades on his arms Reaper caught Shifter's horns and halted his forward momentum. He then brought his knee up catching him under his jaw, sending him backwards. 

“Eat ghost fire jerk,” Will O' called shooting out two balls of blue flame at Reaper the first hit him in the chest knocking him back causing the second to hit him in the face where it was swallowed by the darkness of the hood.

Meanwhile

Wildbill had pulled out an 8in blade bowie knife from the back of his belt and had been using it to defend himself. He still was able to land a kick or punch in here or there but more often than not he was striking an after image not his target. For such an unwieldy looking weapon his opponent was moving it quite readily. It didn't help he was still trying to figure out what this maniac was talking about, he was only in his mid thirties there was no way he could have fought this guy thirty years ago let alone forty-five. And he had said that was the last time they had fought meaning there may have been earlier encounters. He's crazy.

“Well Wilhelm, are we going continue our dance our are you just dame try to block me all day,” Solntse said with a giggle in his voice, “If you don't remember Hamburg, how about Vienna or maybe Auschwitz?” 

“Auschwitz? How old do you think I am?”, Wildbill asked as he attempted another swing of his blade at him.

“Why right now I'd say your body is around thirty eight years old, now your mind and soul are much more ancient.” Solntse said before he put his hand over his mouth as if he just told a secret before he burst out laughing again, “Oops, I wasn't supposed to say anything. Now I'll have to wait until you reawaken before I kill you again. Hee, hee, ha, ha.” 

“I really don't think you're gonna get the chance to do that, you'll find I'm a lot harder to kill than you think.”, Wildbill said he ducked under another swing of the of the war-club and stabbed upwards sinking the blade deep into Solntse's wrist. 

“Argh,” Solntse called out as he grabbed his wound, “That's getting better, your reflexes seem to be coming around.” 

In another part of the fight

“Well Bugzy boy, you having fun yet?” Freerunner asked as he bounced off of the wall and delivered another kick to his face. 

Flux ran over, grabbed Bugz by two of his arms, spun around, and slammed him into wall. “Biologically you are impossible. That doesn't mean I won't kick your tail.” 

Again Bugz skittered away, once clear he jumped into the air and took flight. “Let'z zee you get me up here.” He said as flew above them. 

“Alley oop?” Freerunner asked looking at Flux.

“Alley oop,” Flux replied bending low and cupping his hands together. 

Freerunner ran to him, stepping into his hands as Flux lifted him into the air. He got halfway up to Bugz before he bounced off of one of the pillars. As he hit the pillar, Bugz shot a glob of acid from his mouth that hit the spot he had bounced from causing it to sizzle. 

“Well that's different,” Flux yelled up at Bugz.

Bugz was preparing to spit out another glob when Freerunner caught him in the stomach with his shoulder. Freerunner slid down, grabbed Bugz feet using the momentum from falling to swing through his legs onto the wall behind him, and bounced back to land on Bugz' back. Once there he grabbed Bugz wings and stopped them from being used causing them both to plummet to the ground. 

The last fight continues

Glamur had just blocked another fireball from Hot Shot with her lightning shield as Charger prepared to blast him from the left side. Feeling threatened he turned and fired a could of hot plasma at Charger. Still unsure of the full capabilities of the armor Charger flinched back as the cloud enveloped her. 

“Nrhgb Nrhhrov!”, Glamur called aim the watery missiles at the cloud surrounding her friend. 

_“Thanks,”_ Charger called as the spell blasted and cooled down the plasma.

“Aww, Little Mabel is still protecting her Dip-stick brother,” Hot Shot called out at Glamur.

“What did, did you call me,” Glamur called back shocked.

_“You think I'm her brother?”,_ Charger called at him firing a Telsa blast at him, _“Man are you barking up the wrong tree, wait a minute what did you call her?”_

“Aw doesn't Little Mabel want people to know who she is?” Hot Shot yelled as he dodged the electric stream and sent a full wave of fire at Glamur.

“Nbhgrx Hsrvow!”, Glamur intoned as she is surrounded by a glowing dome shield.

“And you, if you're not Dip-stick, then what are you?”, Hot Shot asked, “I wasn't good enough for little Miss Mabel, so she goes out and finds a new boyfriend in a tin suit.” 

_“So what are you gonna do if she did, you over grown matchstick?”,_ Charger replied trying to rile him up and have him make a mistake, _“So what if we are dating, I'm definitely better for her than some idiot who get turned down so he goes psychotic.”_

Glamur sat there in her shield processing what she was hearing. Hot Shot was someone that she had turned down. There really was only one name that came to mind down here, but he was dead. And then there was what Charger had said, the 'So what if we are dating”. She figures she only said that to make him mad, but why does that line seem to make her sad? 

“You can never be good enough for her,” Hot Shot yelled running towards Charger with his hands so hot they were burning with a white flame that almost blinded her sensors. She could see waves of heat radiating off of him. He grabbed onto her and started raising his own body temperature as much as he could trying to cook the person inside the armor he was already hot enough that the floor was overheating and cracking where he stood. 

“Stop Jimmy!” Glamur called dropping her shield feeling the heat a good 25 feet away from them, “Don't hurt her!”

“SO YOU FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT!”, Hot Shot yelled back at her as he raised his body temperature even higher, “WELL TOO LATE, I'M STILL FRYING YOUR GIRLFRIEND, THAT EXPLAINS A LOT MABEL! HELL I MAY AS WELL TAKE YOU ALL WITH HER!”

_“Glamur, I'm sorry but I can't let him do that!”_ Charger said through her intercom. As soon as she finished she turned her propulsion unit to full blast and flew the two them through the roof as fast as she could hoping to get them away before he actually got hot enough to burn through her armor.

“No!”, Glamur called after her friend who seemed to be sacrificing herself to save all of them. 

**Gravity Falls  
Tambry's computer room**

“Have you checked the surrounding states?”. Nate asked really freaked out about this, why would someone want to steal his blood?

“Not yet, I was busy getting stuff ready for Dipper, Wendy, and the gang. They needed all the info they could gather to help hunt down who hurt the twins friends. And don't ask why cause you know you two would do it on a heartbeat for any of us.”

“Yeah, you're right. Even Thompson,” Lee said with a smirk. “Hell, if he told us to stop picking on him we would.”

“I know guys,” Tambry replied to her friends knowing their hearts in the right place, “Alright I'll start searching outta state.”

“Start with California, with everything else happening down there who knows.”, Nate said finally wondering if all of this might be connected.

“You know what, if this name turns out to be an alias what does it mean?”, Lee asked pulling out his phone and typing it into Toggle translate. “Hmm it means night in French. If there's something I've learned from spy movies it's bad guys like to use similar aliases, try searching for other names that translate from night.” 

“Interesting idea,” Tambry said as she widened her search parameters. 

“I just thought of something. If they're all down there, who's watching out for the Shack and the rest of their family?”, Nate asked now that they were actually doing something so he could take some of the worry off of himself. 

“Well Stan, Soos, & Melody are at the shack. Ford, Candy, & McGucket are working on a hidden project. No one in their right mind would mess with the Corduroys. And Grenda is watching over the twins dad who's still asleep.”, Tambry said as she listed off where everyone was at. 

“Wait, the twins dad is still asleep. Isn't it a little late for a nap?”, Lee said. 

“Oh, Shoot no one has told you two yet?”, Tambry asked even though she had already figured it out, “After the kidnapping yesterday, the guys rescued the two Stans but the twins couldn't find their dad. When Stan and Ford made it home they were shocked to find him in a deep sleep. It seems some one has put him in a near coma like sleep.”

“Oh, man. That has to royally suck. Someone using sleep as a weapon,” Nate said,” that's just wrong.”

**Piedmont, California  
Warehouse **

Even over the noise of the combat surrounding them all, everybody heard Glamur's anguished scream. Without even thinking about it Shifter, Will O', Flux, Freerunner, and Wildbill all immediately turned and rushed to her aid. This distraction gave Polden' Solntse and his remaining Squires the chance to regroup. 

“Glamur,” despite being on of the furthest away Shifter was the first at her side. “What's wrong?” 

“Charger,” Glamur said pointing up to the hole in the roof, “Jimmy, he was trying to, to melt her. He was so hot, she was...” she started to break down crying.

“Wait that was Jimmy?”, Shifter said surprised but leaning down to hug his sister, “It can't be, he is dead. The police thought we had done it. They found all of the bodies.”

Wildbill leaned over hugging the twins. Looking first at the cracked flooring, knowing how much heat was needed to do that to concrete he had to wonder if their friend could survive. Most metals melt at temperatures lower than what it takes to crack a six foot solid slab of concrete. 

“Shifter, if Hot Shot was Jimmy, could that mean the other two are you other tormentors?”, Flux asked watching the villains as they gathered together.

“What?”, Shifter said looking up, “I don't know. The fire fighters found their bodies at the fires, but they were only identified by dental records.” That comment brought him out of his confusion. 

Freerunner solemnly chimed in, “I've been trying to raise Charger, but I'm not getting any answers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is Chapter 30, a part of me never thought I'd get this far. This story was originally planned to be only 15-16 chapters but as I have said before the characters have been taking over as I write expanding the story and the chapters as I go on. Prior to this my longest stories were only 5 chapters and they both faded & fizzled out with out my getting them completed. Most of my stories were one chapter drabbels at best but were fun to write anyways. 
> 
> As for the Chapter it was mostly dominated by the combat but I did through some stuff in to help move the background stories (at least compared to the combat) along. I didn't get to Stan and Gillian because that will be a flashback sequence I want to fully develop out. Lee actually showed a little bit of smarts in this chapter, but even a bulb that burns out shines brightly before so. Ford and McGucket are working on more plans for the Bunker. Also what type of history does Wildbill have with Solntse and the Knight and why doesn't he remember it? And how will Charger's sacrifice affect the Heroes? 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/??? - toxin/antitoxin, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbles that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Three is up following Mrs Ruperts & James as they continue their search. And we learn what motivates them. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream (formerly A Pleasant Dream). It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 13-15-18-14-9-14-7, 14-15-15-14, 1-14-4 14-9-7-8-20 14-15-14-5 1-18-5 23-9-20-8-15-21-20 6-18-9-7-8-20!


	31. Chapter 31

** Chapter 31 **

**Piedmont, California  
Warehouse**

Will O', Freerunner, Flux and Wildbill all stand up and turn towards the remaining three villains. Shifter is still kneeling besides Glamur who almost appears to be in shock. 

_“Guys, we need to protect her at all costs,”_ Will O' said with her hair blazing brighter than any of them have ever seen. 

“Yeah, think you can take bug boy? We'll take your old dance partner,” Freerunner said as he readied to face off with the guy in all black. 

“I'll stay with their leader you guys,” Wildbill said not taking his eyes off of the guy in red. 

“Aw, isn't that cute. Even with three of their ilk out of commission they still want to fight,” Solntse said looking at his two remaining Squires, “Have fun boys, but remember the cowboy is mine.” 

Bugz jumped instantly into the air, brought out his wings, and took flight. Will O' started to float upwards and then took off after him. _“Come back here you overgrown mosquito.”_

“I rezent that remark!”, Bugs said turning back at her and spitting out a glob of acid at her. She hastily dodge it and it hit another of the pillars in the building. 

“Well get used to it bug-boy!” Will O' called sending a ball of fire at him. She heard a satisfying scream and saw him fall behind one of the pillars. 

Meanwhile

Reaper slowly moved towards Freerunner & Flux while they seemed to head off to the right of the warehouse drawing him away from where Shifter & Glamur were in the back half of the warehouse. 

“One boy of flesh and bone. One boy of metal and stone. Soon both shall die and be part of my throne,” Reaper said before he took his first swing at the charging Flux who had feinted a left motion and then ducked to the right.

Little did Reaper know the brothers had subconsciously planned this tactic, Flux swung a hard right uppercut leaving his left arm to be used by Freerunner as a pole to swing a fierce kick in from the left side. No sooner had Freerunner let loose then Flux swung his left arm into another punch while Freerunner had dropped and kicked Reaper in the back of his knees. The brothers know each other so well seemed to be working in perfect synch.

Elsewhere

Shifter was still crouched over Glamur holding her protectively, ready to pull her out of the way in a moments notice. “Come on, Glamur. We need to get you moved. There's so much going on, you can't stay out here in the open.”

“She flew up there to save me,” Glamur mumbled as she was still processing what all had happened, “She said it was better if we dated than if I had dated him. Why had she said that?”

“Com'on sis, we gotta move.” Shifter said as he tried to move her again.

“Did she just say that to get him to leave me alone, or… Well there was the kiss, no that was just for the game. Wasn't it?” Glamur was still mumbling and not moving from the spot, “She can't leave, I need to figure this out.”

“Mabel, get your rear moving.” Shifter finally yelled and it seemed to gain her attention. 

Near the dock bay

Wildbill watched as the wound where his knife had went through was slowly closing as he walked towards the man who has been claiming he's know hm for longer than he's been alive. There is no way he was in Hamburg forty-five years ago, and he has never been to Auschwitz, or has he, no with that places history he would have remembered it. He was glad he pulled out his boot knife while checking on Ma… no out here she's called Glamur he reminded himself, it gave him something other than just his fists to fight with. 

“So Wilhelm, have you started to remember anything yet? Or do I need to bring up more? Perhaps Beijing, 1644 or maybe Australia 1880, I think your name was Ned that time.” Solntse said with a sneer as he picked his warclub up with his other hand, “Though that time you were the outlaw, at least to the government.”

“What in the world are you talking about,” Wildbill said as he rushed him in an attempt to get the first hit in, but Solntse easily dodged his attack and playfully punched him with his injured arm as he went by.

“So you still don't get it, do you?”, Solntse called as he swung a kick towards Wildbill knocking into the dead gangbangers, “These battles we fight are really the only time I still feel alive, you are normally the only challenge I come across in a generation or two. As it stands right now you aren't really even worth the trouble it took for my mistress to connect us.”

“Ok, now you are just talking nonsense. I'm not connected to no man, I stand on my own two feet and always have.”, Wildbill said as he got up from the dead bodies.

“Well I guess there is no other way around this then,” Solntse grabbed Wildbill by the face and shouted, “Zapomnit'!”

Wildbill screamed as several lifetimes of memories of life and death rushed into his head, almost reflexively he dropped down and swept Solntse feet out from under him still screaming all the while. 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack portable hotel room**

“Well that was 'Hot Werewolf, Bare Chest XI', I hope you liked it Mister Pines.”, Grenda said she place the book down on the end table in between the two of them. 

She got up and walked around the room. She knows she volunteered to watch Mabel's dad while she was taking care of her business down in Piedmont, but she hadn't realized it was gonna be this long. 

She wanted to move around and do something but she had already done a round of exercises, read two books to Mr. Pines, checked her greatbook account, fed her lizard, and played Fight Fighters VI on her GS3D system. If it didn't seem like it would be creepy she would've started to check out the drawers, but it was too much of an invasion of privacy. 

“Man, I'm bored,” she finally admitted out loud.

**Piedmont, California  
Warehouse**

The brothers each currently were holding on to an arm and a leg of Reaper and were swinging him as hard as they could headfirst into the closest wall. The first time he hit it was weird, even though they felt the impact of his head hitting the wall it still seemed to disappear into the wall. They both had nearly dropped him then, but as he swung back the hooded head reappeared so they continued to swing him. On the final back swing they released him and he flew a few feet back bouncing as he went. 

Grabbing a metal bar off of the wall, Flux went over to where Freerunner had rolled the unconscious villain onto his stomach. After pulling his arms backwards, he bent the bar to around Reaper's wrists as a makeshift pair of handcuffs. They attempted to get his bladed wrist bands off but they seemed to be part of his body.

“Well that was fun,” Freerunner said as they both took a breath. Then they hear a blood curdling scream coming from where Wildbill had been fighting. “Delphi, are you able to reach Charger? She flew off with one of the villains attempting to cook her in her own armor and we have lost contact.”

Meanwhile

“Dipper she sacrificed herself for us, for me.”, Glamur said as she grabbed her brother by the collar as he was pulling her back from the battle, “I have to find her, I have to know what happened to her.” 

“We'll find her sis,” Shifter said as he pulled her into a hug, “Right now I need to get you out of the line of fire, you in no shape to fight anymore.” 

At this point they turn when they hear an overpowering scream coming from the dock area and they see they godfather holding on to his head as he still fighting the guy in red. 

“Hold on, bro.”, Glamur said as she looked to her godfather, “Unka Cowboy catch, Yozwv Lu Rxv!”

Out of nowhere a sword made of solid ice appeared in Wildbill right hand. 

Elsewhere 

Will O' follows Bugz down as he falls to the ground he lands on one side of a pillar as she lands on the other planning on surprising him by rushing from the other side. As she rounded the corner she came face to face with Dipper. 

_“What are you doing here like that, dude?”,_ Will O' asked genuinely shocked before she looked behind him and saw Shifter with his sister. She moved just in time to dodge another acid glob. Dipper shimmered before reappearing back as Bugz. He swung at her and one arm did hit cutting into her shirt. 

“I've got you now,” Bugz said again as attempted to tackle her.

_“Dude as if,”_ Will O' replied bringing up her ax and hitting his under his jaw with the flat edge sending him flying. She then jumped at him and cracked open his carapace and she finally felt a weakness in the power that prevented her from turning them to wood. _“Prepare to feel Lumber Justice!”_ she roared as Bugz began to turn wooden from the inside out. 

**Gravity Falls  
Tambry's computer room**

“On it Freerunner,” Tambry said as she began furiously typing on her keyboard. She brought Charger's specific radio frequency and said, “Charger, what's your status? Charger do you hear me?”

When she got no response she began tapping to every satellite she could find covering the area around her friends looking for any sign of her. The first three she tried had no external sensor equipment and finally she found a weather satellite that gave her a partial view of the area. 

She quickly called back to Freerunner, “I haven't found her yet, but you guys may need to get out of there quickly...”

**Piedmont, California  
Warehouse**

As he began to finally process all of the information that had suddenly popped into his head Wildbill realized he was still in the middle of combat and that he had a hold of a sword that seemed to be made of non-melting ice. He then realized he was not only keeping up with Polden' Solntse but he was actually beating him. He had just delivered three rapid-fire kicks to his opponent's mid section, followed by a slice of his blade that cut off the hand that held Solntse's warclub.

“Now this is what I was talking about, this is the opponent I was searching for,” Solntse actually seemed happy as he stared at the stump that used to be where his hand had been, “The passion for the fight, the skill of an assassin, the soul of my immortal enemy, I am pleased. Now my mistress may not be, but I am.”

Meanwhile

Freerunner dragged his brother as he ran into the middle of the battle field and yelled to his friends, “Shifter, Will O', Desperado, we need to go now. There is a meteor heading straight for this building.”

Though she was emotionally drained, Glamur upon hearing the yell called out. “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and they all glowed yellow as they disappeared from the building. 

They reappeared on a rooftop a few blocks away as that was all the farther she was able to take them in her current state.

“She didn't appear, why didn't she appear with us?”, Glamur questioned as she looked around at her companions.

“I don't have an answer for you, Mabel”, Wildbill said as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

Will O' held on to her boyfriend as they both came to the same realization as his sister seemed to do. 

As a group they all gathered around Glamur and just held on to her. 

**Gravity Falls  
In the bunker**

Candy had finished cleaning the control room and was now going about replacing the broken glass that was still covering a few of the instruments that Ford and Dipper had deemed not important enough to replace when they had last been down here setting up Dipper's museum. She knew she was gonna have to ask Ford or McGuket when they returned later what each instrument did so she could work better down here and one day be able to repair anything down here her friends would need. 

Meanwhile 

Ford and Fiddleford were now sitting at a table that Ford had set up one of the tunnels in what seemed like a life time ago. Ford seemed to be drawing on one set paper, while Fiddleford was writing out a list of materials on another.

“This preliminary map will cover all of the tunnels we have traveled in so far. As we discover more of them we'll add to it. So far I have found suitable tunnels to hold the training room, a kitchen, a common area/living room, a communications/computer center, living quarters for the eight of them, emergency shelters for their families if needed, an electronics laboratory, the cryogenics room, and a biological laboratory. There may be more needed but that can wait. Right now the cryogenics room and the communications room are of the most importance.” Ford explained as he worked on the map.

“We'll I've got most of the parts I need ta make up another charging thinga-ma-jig at the mansion and what I don't I reckon I can easily gather up.” Fiddleford said looking over the list he had, “As fer the walls for in about here I figure you'n I can scrounge them up from that alien house under those dabnaggit hills.” 

“That sounds like a plan old friend,” Ford said glad they had put aside their differences and he was able to call him that again. 

**Piedmont, California  
Warehouse**

“Well my Squires, I believe it is time for us to make our exit,” Solntse said as he held his severed hand against it's stump and watched as it healed over. 

After dragging the wooden Bugz over to Reaper's location he called out, “My vozvrashchayem!” and in a puff of red smoke they disappeared. 

**Rooftop three blocks from the warehouse**

They watched as the meteor grew closer and waited for the impact. Just before it hit Freerunner called out, “That's not a meteor, it's Charger.” 

“What? Are you sure?”, Glamur asked trying to look out from her circled friends and family.

“I'd recognize that blue armor anywhere,” He said as he ran for the fire escape. In a fast session he made it down to the ground just before the impact rocked the ground. 

“Glamur, you stay here.”, Shifter said as he took Will O's hand.

“Like hell, I will!”, she replied, “I'm the only one who can help her if she's, if she's hurt. Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and the glow enveloped her as she left without them.

Will O' brought Shifter with her as she traveled through the spirit world to the outside of the warded warehouse. Glamur was already running into the building through the blown out dock doors when they arrived. By the time they were inside Freerunner had made it to the outside of the building. Seeing they were inside he went in to look for possible survivors. The punks that the front group were all still unconscious, except for one guy in the last office. It looked like this guy had the unfortunate circumstance of being in the wrong place when the window blew out as a bloody shard was embedded in the wall behind him thought there wasn't much blood on the ground under him. He dragged out the living ones and left them on the sidewalk outside of the building. 

Meanwhile 

Glamur was attempting to get Charger's helmet off in order to see if she was ok, but couldn't find an external release switch. Surprisingly the armor wasn't hot to the touch. She thought about casting a healing spell but without knowing if there were any injuries or their extent she could do more damage than help. She was quickly joined by her brother and Will O'. 

“We need to get her helmet off to see if she is ok?”, she pleaded to her brother, “I can't lose her.” 

“I'll see what I can do,” Shifter replied slowly running his hands over the sides of the helmet, “I studied the blueprints McGucket used. There is an emergency button right about here.”

Upon the button recessing after he pushed it the helmet slowly popped open but didn't rise up as it normally would. He slid his fingers into the gap and raised the helmet up. Shifting his arm into a thinner version he was able to slide it down to reach the internal release for the breast piece and then he and Will O' pulled it open. Looking at one of the sensors that was still on he saw that the armor was down to one percent power, if they hadn't gotten here any sooner she may have suffocated in the armor. They noticed that her chest was still rising meaning she was still alive.

Bracing her neck they slowly brought her out of the armor and Will O' gave her a look over for any injuries that her survival training had taught her to look for. They found her pulse and used it to verify she was alive. After ascertaining there were no major physical injuries, she nodded to Glamur.

“Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” Glamur cast as a golden orange glow enveloped Pacifica and slowly she came too.

_“Like, did any one get the number of the ocean liner that hit me? I'd like to sue them,”_ Pacifica said as she held onto her head as she slowly sat up. 

“Oh, Pacifica,” Glamur said as she hugged her, then she leaned back and kissed her. Every one including Pacifica was shocked at first, then Pacifica returned the kiss. When they finished Glamur punched her in the arm, “Don't ever do that to me again.”

Freerunner, who had just came back from getting the guys out of the back door spoke, “Uhmm, did I miss something?” 

Pacifica and Glamur broke out laughing.

Shifter looked over everything and tapped his earbud, “Delphi, We have Charger. She is in good condition. Flux, are you two still in the same position?”

Rooftop

“Yeah, and you guys need to move. The Police are inbound,” Flux said he and Wildbill were watching the incoming red & blue lights.

Behind them a golden glow signaled the arrival of the rest of the team. 

“I'm not sure exactly how we're getting the armor back home,” Shifter said as he looked over his emotionally and physically drained sister, “Your helmet says you're at one percent power.”

_“Well, they said in an emergency I could charge it by grabbing a live wire with the hand that shoots the Tesla blast but I really had hoped I never would have had to do that.”_ Pacifica said as she was still seated and having her hand held by Mabel, Reaching her free hand up to her throat, she realized she still had on the voice modulator. 

“I have an idea. Stand the armor up so she can get into it,” Galmur said as she help Pacifica up to her feet. 

Will O' and all four guys started to lift it, only for it to be lighter than it looked. 

“Man I didn't realize how light this thing is,” Flux said as he marveled over it, “it looks like it should weigh a ton.”

Wildbill lifted Pacifica into the Chest cavity and then shut it after she was settled. She left the helmet's mask up until Glamur said, “Shut your mask I don't want to take a chance of you getting electrocuted.”

“Wrhp Lu Vmvtb!”, Glamur said calling up her electric disc she used as a shield earlier, she held the disc to the Charger units left palm. “Ok, now try to charge it.”

Pacifica activated the Electro Magnetic Pulse beam and was happy to see it was recharging her power core. The small shield was only enough to get her up to fifteen percent charge, _“That should be enough to send the signal for the armor recall to teleport it back.”_

She climbed back out of the armor, took off the voice modulator, and shut it back in the armor. Grabbing her remote she pushed the button sending it back to the charging station at McGucket's.

“Alright that's done,” Shifter said as over his team and his godfather, “We're gonna need to get back, people may start to notice we're gone. We also need to check on dad.”

“What's exactly up with your dad? And after what I've seen today, I really don't believe he wouldn't have called by now just cause he was tired from a fishing trip yesterday. So shoot straight with me,” Wildbill said after he had pulled off his bandana.

“Well,” Shifter said as he looked away from his godfather, “Today wasn't the first time we've ran into one of these Knights. One had agents attack dad and our Grunkles on the boat yesterday. We ended up fighting those agents and freeing Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford, but the White Knight had taken Dad. We later found out he was brought back to the Mystery Shack. Unfortunately it seems they may have put him under a sleeping spell or something, he hasn't woke up since he was brought back.” 

“None of my spells have been able to revive him or anything,” Glamur said as she looked at her Unka Cowboy.

“We're hoping mom may be able to figure out if there is some type of medical issue when she get's up to Gravity Falls,” Shifter added.

“I'll see about having Antonio take over the gym for a bit and head up tomorrow or Tuesday,” Wildbill said as he gathered all the information they had given him. “I can't leave my best friend alone in that type of condition.”

“Hey that means you can meet Grunkle Stan and Ford,” Glamur said as her eyes glowed with the various friends they can introduce him to, like Grenda, Candy, Nate, Lee, Robbie (she knows Dipper would like that introduction), and the rest of her friends in Gravity Falls. 

“We've better go,” Shifter said as he gathered the rest of the group together, before looking at Glamur “Are you gonna be able to get us all there?”

“Yeah, may need to get something to eat then take a nap after wards but I still have enough juice in me,” she said as she took his and Pacifica hands in her own. “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” The golden glow enveloped them and they we're gone.

“Well it's good to know the Tome of the Sovereign and the Unicursal Shooting Star are in good hands,” he said before he jumped off of the roof onto the sidewalk three stories below. 

**Gravity Falls  
Bunker**

Candy watched as a golden glow appeared in the room below her, it brightened before the team popped into existence. She the first thing she noticed as she looked over her friends was how tired and worn they looked. The next was the fact that Mabel and Pacifica we're holding hands even after they arrived. 

“Alright Delphi, we are at home base.” Shifter said after tapping his earbud.

Glamur looked around and said, “Xolgsrmt'h Mlinzoxb!” and her and the Clondike boy's clothes returned to normal. Wendy powered down as Dipper shifted back into his normal form.

Candy called of the intercom, “I am up in the control room. Mr. Ford and Mr. McGucket are somewhere in the tunnels to the left.” 

Mabel and Pacifica walked up to the control room and Mabel raided her brother's snack food stash, finishing off a box of Chiprackers in record time. 

“So, is there anything I need to know?” Candy asked as she looked over her at her two friends. The only response she got was a blush from the two of them.

The boys and Wendy went down the tunnel to find Ford and fill him in on what all they found. 

**Piedmont, California 8:20 PM  
Heritage Memorial Hospital Employee parking lot**

Elaine Pines was walking out to her car with a few other nurses. “Well I hope you girls can do without me till the twenty-sixth, I'm heading up to spend the holiday with my husbands family in Oregon.”

“Lucky,” Susan said, “I'm stuck here on Thanksgiving.”

“Well seniority does have it's privileges,” Elaine said with a wink. 

When she reached her car she said her goodbyes to everyone as they headed on to their vehicles. She was just unlocking her door when she heard someone calling her name.

“Nurse Pines, can I speak with you for a moment?”, Dr. Nox said as she walked up to Elaine's car.

“Sure, what do you need Dr. Nox?”, Elaine replied dropping her purse into her car. 

“Well I just learned that you were heading out on vacation and I wanted to wish you well on your trip,” Dr. Nox said as she reached Elaine, “It was a pleasure to work with you tonight. You really know how to keep the patients calm.”

“Why thank you Dr. Nox, It was a pleasure to work with you also,” Elaine said getting ready to get into her car.

“Well again have a good trip,” Dr. Nox said offering her hand to Elaine.

“Thank you, it's just a family get together and Thanksgiving dinner.” Elaine said shaking her hand, “Maybe we can work together again someday.”

“I'd like that Elaine,” Dr. Nox replied, “Unfortunately my brother didn't get his job done so I'm afraid this will be the last time we see each other.” 

Elaine was trying to figure out what the doctor meant went she suddenly got extremely tired and fell int a deep sleep. .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Chapter done and ready to be read. I'm finishing this up on Friday night as I have a memorial pitch in Saturday for those who were unable to make it to mom's funeral. My oldest son has been in charge of everything for it so I hope thing go ok. 
> 
> In this chapter our heroes have finally defeated the Red Knight and his Squires. More planning was being done on the Bunker. And we got to see Grenda taking care of Mr. Pines. We learned Charger's fate and even though it may cost me a reader, Mabel and Pacifica have finally realized there's something there. Wildbill has now learned more of his extended history and some of his connection to the Red Knight. And Dr. Nox has made her next move. The next chapter will be almost completely devoted to Stan And Gillian and a few flashback's into their history. 
> 
> Translations from Russian using Google Translate (My Russian is 21 years out of practice)  
> Polden' Solntse – Noon Sun  
> Zapomnit' - Remember  
> My vozvrashchayem – We return
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/??? - toxin/antitoxin, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbles that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Three is up following Mrs Ruperts & James as they continue their search. And we learn what motivates them. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream (formerly A Pleasant Dream). It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.  
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.  
> 20-23-15 19-12-21-13-2-5-18 19-15 4-5-5-16 1-14-4 15-14-12-25 15-14-5 1-23-1-11-5-13-20.


	32. Chapter 32

** Chapter 32 **

**Mystery Shack Sunday November 18, 2012 2:25 PM  
Kitchen **

Stan, Gillian, and James are sitting at the kitchen table while Soos was at the counter making a fresh pot of coffee. There was a bit of silence as the two ex-spouses seemed to be trying to feel each other out. James was just sitting there drinking a Pitt Cola and looking bored. 

“So,” Stan finally said, “You're back in town, huh?”

“Yeah, I finally decided to pay a visit to the old town.”, Gillian Ruperts said looking up into Stan's eyes. “Visit some old friends.”

“Really? The last I remember you said you were never coming back here.”, Stan said his face souring, “Something about an arrogant jerk ruining the place for you.”

“Well time changes things,” she said

Soos brought over three cups of coffee and sat down. Looking between the two he he finally asked, “So how'd the two of you meet?”

Stan rubbed his chin in thought before he started, “Well I had been running the Murder Hut for two years and I was trying to come up with new attractions...”

**Flashback June 1984  
Gravity Falls**

“I'm telling you Mr. Pines, you need to get more stuff in here. People are gonna get tired of seeing the same stuff over and over,” the 20 year old standing behind the newly built Gift Shop counter said talking to his boss.

“I know, Justin. I'm just running out of ideas right now.”, Stanford Pines said as he took off his 'blood splattered' blue sports coat.

“Well you could always go to the Library to check out some books on legends and local history type stuff,” Justin said as he flipped through the Gravity Falls Gossiper.

“You know I can't go back to the library ever since that incident with the librarian Beatrice,” Stan said running his hand through his brown hair. “Who would have thought a thirty year old dame could have been a widow. If she had told me her husband had died in a mining accident I would have never made the splunking joke.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about your failed date with Miss Durham,” Justin said hiding his smirk behind the newspaper as he remembered the red hand-print that was still on his boss's face the next morning when he came to work, “Well there's always Ruperts' Books and Novel-ties out on the edge of town.” 

“Oh, yeah. Never been in there. Books really aren't my cup of coffee,” Stan said as he walked around marking up items from a dollar or two to three or four dollars. “what's this Rupert like?”

“Oh, you'll find you have some stuff in common,” Justin replied putting down his paper and looking at the clock, “Well my shift's done and you don't pay overtime so I'm outta here.” 

He grabbed his blue and black leather jacket and putting on his head phones to listen to his 'Chiller' cassette on his Skipman. He was dancing the entire trip out of the shop to his Shawnee Merriville wagon. Stan turned the sign to closed and watched his only employee pull away.

Once Justin had pulled out of the lot, Stan started to pull out the bookcase he had set up to hide the door to his brother's laboratory before he stopped himself, “Well it can't hurt to go check out this bookshop.” 

After locking up he got into his trusty El Diablo and headed into town. He stopped at the Dusk2Dawn, grabbed a soda and a bag of chips for his dinner, and headed on down the road to the bookstore. Pulling up to the place he could tell it had a definite Mom & Pop type of feel to it. It was a brick building with a blue and green awning over the front of the building. The door had a bell hanging down in plain sight to let the employees know when someone entered. And Ruperts' Books and Novel-ties was painted in gold on the front window.

'It seems like the owner may have a good sense of humor,' he thought as he chuckled to himself. He shut the motor off and went inside. Looking around he saw a display off to one side that held a bunch of knick knacks and bric-a-brack labeled The Novel-tie corner. Walking over he saw some 'Welcome To Gravity Falls' bumper stickers and snowglobes, bookmarks with titles of famous and new books on them, some quartz crystals, and other items fools buy. 'I'll have to remember the snowglobe idea.' he thought as he felt someone looking at him.

“How are you tonight sir? Can I help you find anything?”, he heard a woman ask from behind him. 

Turning around he was prepared to see some elderly spintress or school teacher looking lady, but to his surprise he was looking at an absolute beauty. Auburn hair, hazel eyes, and a figure he hadn't seen since Carla what's her name. He actually stood there for almost a minute absolutely speechless,

Snapping out of it he walked over to her and went to introduce himself, “Hi, I'm Pineford Stans, I mean Stanford Pines.”

'What are you doing Stanley, you're a ladies man. You don't make mistakes like this,' he thought before he realizes she's giggling over his mistake, 'Great, now she'll think I'm as big a dork as my brother.'

“Well Mr. Pines, is there anything in particular you are looking for or are you just here to look at the scenery?” The beauty asked his as he had not taken his eyes off of her since he turned around.

“Uhm, oh yeah,” Stan replied as he snapped out of the trance he seemed to be in. Rubbing the back of his head he nervously said, “Sorry, I came in looking for some books on mythology and local history. I run a tourist stop in the woods and I'm always looking for new ideas.”

“Oh, do you mean the Murder Hut?”, She asked.

“Yes, you've heard of it?”, Stan asked as he tried to remember if he has ever seen her in the Hut.

“Yeah. Never been there though, the names too ominous. Tourist shop's should have whimsical names, they attract people more.”, she replied. 

“Hmm. Good point,” Stan said rubbing his chin processing what she said. After a moment he asked, “So, do you think Rupert would mind if I browsed through some books for ideas?”

“Who?”, she questioned.

“Rupert. This is Rupert's Bookstore right? It's named after the owner right?” Stan asked trying to figure out what was so difficult about the question.

“Well it is, but it's named after the family name. As in: hi, I'm Gillian Ruperts.” Gillian said with a bemused look on her face, especially over the cute way Stanford here seemed to be blushing over his mistake.

“Oh, I'm so sorry.”, Stan stammered, “I just didn't expect a beautiful dame like yourself to be the owner of a stuffy bookstore.” 

**Present Day  
Mystery Shack**

“After that he was at the store everyday for a week, finally he got the nerve up to ask me out to dinner,” Gillian said as she finished up the story Stan had been telling. “And he took my suggestion and renamed the Murder Hut to something whimsical, The Mystery Shack.”

“Well I was loosing customers anyways after it got out there were no real murders committed here,” Stan said trying to downplay her part in the name change. 

“If you say so,” the refined looking Gillian said with smirk on her face. 

**Piedmont, California  
In the sky above the warehouse**

After bursting through the roof of the warehouse, an act she had hoped would have knocked out her attacker, Charger continued to fly as high as she was able to get. She really hadn't thought of her plan further along than to get this psycho away from her friends, away from Mabel. 

“Aw, this is so noble. Sacrificing yourself to save the life of your girlfriend,” Hot Shot said as he continued to raise his body temperature, he was actually beginning to get a little worried himself, as hot as he was burning her armor should have been a puddle of molten metal by now and she should be dead. 

_“Yeah, it's what the good guys do. But I guess you wouldn't have any idea about that,”_ Charger said as she continued to climb, she noticed the extended vertical climb and her multiple usages of the Tesla blasts in the battle have put a strain on her power batteries, she locked her arms in place and began to divert power from them and the other unnecessary components in order to keep the power going to the propulsion, coolant, and life support systems. 

“You make me sick,” Hot Shot ranted as he continued to heat up. “Playing a hero, there are no heroes in this world. Everybody is greedy and willing to do what ever is necessary to gain what they want. Lie, steal, cheat, kill, all in order to make themselves a better life. That's the way of the world.”

_“At one point in my life I may have agreed with you, heck if I hadn't met Mabel and Dipper, I probably would still believe that.”,_ Charger said trying to distract him from how high they were, her sensors were showing they starting to get high enough the air should be getting thinner and that should slow him down and possibly cause him to pass out soon. Hopefully real soon she is down to less than a quarter power and she doesn't know exactly how much she'll need to get back down. _“They are truly good people and they helped me see that I could be better than I was, I wanted to be better for them, for her. You know them, you know big their hearts are. If you had truly wanted to be with Mabel, you would know that she is one of the sweetest, kindest, most honest people in the world.”_

“Oh, yeah. She's a real saint.”, Hot Shot said through strained breaths, “I've been there for her since 3rd grade keeping the harpies off of her, sure that meant throwing Dip-stick under the bus for the bullies and mean girls to pick on but I kept her safe. And she never acknowledged it at all, all she ever did was worry about her lame brother and flirt with other guys.”

Charger saw him start to burn even brighter as his flame started to burn out of control. His clothing seemed to finally burn off of his body from what she could see and his hair actually seemed to be burning away. _“You need to stop, you're going to kill yourself!”_

“As long as I take you with me and make Mabel pay, I don't care!”, Hot Shot said as she watched his skin start to crack and peal.

Charger turned her propulsion off and tried to start a decent hoping to still be able to save him. Once she started to fall she programed the propulsion system to try to get her as close to the warehouse as possible. She had to get back to her friends. Looking back up from her controls, she saw that the cracks on Hot Shots skin were now ashing as they burned. Looking at his face she had to turn away as all she saw was his mask and his charred skull before the burning husk slipped from the locked arms of her armor. She cried for him even though all he seemed to be able to feel was hatred. Her life support went off as she became what the news would later call a falling meteorite.

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack **

James had to escape and excused himself to get some fresh air. Listening to the two codgers recall their past may have been interesting to Soos, but to James it was like being forced to watch the old black and white Hullo Dwello show when he'd rather watch an episode of the Chlorine anime. If he had known Gillian was going to spend the afternoon talking to this old con man, he'd have brought a manga or two to read. He decided it would still be better to sit out on the porch than listen to another tale from before he was born. 

Inside Stan, Soos, and Gillian were still sitting around the table and Gillian was speaking “We had been dating for almost a year before I got a call from my sister that my son Alan had been involved in a car accident, I told Stanford that I had to go help my sister after her husband had been in an accident. I left the shop in the care of one of my managers and left. I stayed with my sister's family for a year watching my son heal and pretending to be his aunt. Stan and I stayed in contact mostly through letters as long distance calls back then were expensive. Once I was certain Alan was better I returned to Gravity Falls and to Stan.”

“She helped me completely refurbish the Mystery Shack and even helped me come up with several new exhibits. Heck she even had her own key,” Stan said as he reminisced, “Everything was going great till one night about four years later I had forgotten about a date we had planned and was down in the basement working on some of the equipment that had broken back in Eighty-Two. Not thinking I had left the bookcase slightly open and she came in to see what was keeping me from the date.”

**Flashback**

“Stan?,” Gillian was yelling as she walked into the living room area of the Shack. Not seeing Stan she began to look around for him, hoping that nothing had happened to him, “Stan, where are you honey?”

She searched to the living quarters but found nothing so she decided to look for him around the displays and whatnot. As she walked into the gift shop she saw the bookcase he kept in there was moved away from the wall. Curiosity got to her and she tried to move the bookcase only to find it swung easily like a door. Behind it was a staircase that led to an elevator. It was down on the bottom level when she called it up. Once it opened she pushed the button for the bottom floor and took it all the way down. When she got off of the elevator she followed the pathway to the big room where he was working on some giant device.

“Stanford Pines!”, Gillian yelled as she walked towards him causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

“Gillian, what are you doing here?”, the clearly flustered Stan Pines asked as he tried to figure out how she was able to get down here.

Gillian still trying to take in everything she was seeing was finally able to speak, “We had a date tonight Stan! I waited for nearly an hour at the diner and after you didn't show up I came here to make sure you weren't trapped by a display or something, What's going on here?”

**Present day**

“And really seeing no other way around it, I explained everything to her. It felt good to get it off of my chest, I was able to come clean and no longer having to hide anything from her. She was the only person in Gravity Falls to know I was Stanley Pines and not Stanford. I was able to share so much with her.” Stan said with a look so soft that it almost seemed as if years worth of being a curmudgeonly old grouch had melted away.

“At first I was upset, but I came to the realization that he was still the Stan I had come to love.” Gillian said with some fondness in her eyes. Looking over she saw Soos was nearly in tears.

“This is so beautiful,” Soos said looking between the two of them. 

“We were engaged with in a year of that,” Gillian said pointing to a ring on her right hand that Stan recognized even to this day. 

“You still have it,” He said with a look of happiness. 

“To this day,” She replied with a smile,

**Tambry's computer room**

Tambry was sitting in front of her bank of computers following all the communications she had been able to hack into down in Piedmont, so far everyone seemed to know about the meteorite and were preparing to move out to where ever it was going to hit. The police and fire departments seemed to have narrowed down to the area close to where her friends were. She also continued the search for Charger but so far she had found zilch. Finally after the estimated impact time she received a call from Shifter letting her know they had Charger.

“Ok, glad to hear it.” she said letting go of a breath she hadn't known she was holding, if you had told her at the beginning of the summer that she would have been worried that Pacifica Northwest had disappeared she would have laughed in your face but things had changed and for the better since the twins had came into all of their lives.

“Well now back to the other search,” She said to herself as Nate and Lee had headed out shortly before the call to find Charger had came in. 

**Mystery Shack**

Gillian sat staring at Stan as he was lost in thought before turning back to Soos, she started to get back to the story. “We had planned on getting married the following year here at the Shack, but suddenly one day that fall Stan decided we were going to go the Atlantic City and elope. Along the way Stan produced a pair of fake ID's and told me we were gonna have to get married under assumed names as he was banned from New Jersey, but he wanted to get married near his parents. Hearing this reason I acquiesced, figuring we could still have a regular wedding here in Gravity Falls afterwards.”

Gillian got up and walked back over to refill her coffee and to hide the tear falling down her face. After she had covertly dried it, she returned to the table and continued. “Well when we got to New Jersey we drove by a Naval Base which seemed to hold more than a bit of Stan's attention. When we got to Atlantic City we stayed the night in one of the casinos and spent the night gambling before we were to be married by a judge the following day. An old friend of Stan's who was in the Navy was to stand with him as his best man.”

“Good ol Chuck,” Stan said as he was remembering.

**Flashback**

“Well Chuck, are you sure it's gonna be there?” Stan said in a hushed voice so no one could hear him other than the man sitting with him at a table in the casino's dining room.

“Sure thing man, it's coming in today. I've already secured us a Naval Jeep and a uniform for you,” Chuck, who was dressed in Naval Blue, said conspiratorially. He worked at a Naval testing grounds on the base the couple had passed one their way here. “Were you able to get what I wanted?”

“Yep, it's at a farm just outside of Trenton. We get this done and I'll give you the address,” Stan while keeping an eye out for Gillian or anyone else who might cause trouble for his plans.

As they finished up their plans Gillian walked up to the table and hugged on Stan who's demeanor change nearly instantly. 

“Chuck, my friend, I want to introduce you to the love of my life. Gillian, this is Chuck. He's an old friend from shortly after my high school days.”, Stan said introducing the two of them.

“Good to meet such an engaging beauty,” Chuck said as he shook hands with his friend's fiancee, “Stan's letters didn't do you justice.” 

“Well it's good to meet someone from Stan's past that was a good influence on him,” Gillian said returning the handshake, not noticing Stan flinching at the comment. 

“Yeah, and he was always the bad influence in mine,” Chuck said with a little chuckle.

“Gillian dear, I'm gonna have to run Chuck back to base after we get married as he's currently AWOL in order to be here. But once I get back, our honeymoon will begin.”, Stan said with a small frown.

“You must be a good friend to risk that then,” Gillian said looking at Chuck in shock before turning back to Stan, “So that's why you wanted to elope to here.” 

“Yeah, he was gonna try to get leave to come to Gravity Falls but his boat is getting sent out for a year long tour and he would have missed the wedding.”, Stan told her with a straight face. 

“Ok, I guess I can postpone the honeymoon for an hour or two. And don't worry Chuck your secret is safe with me.”, Gillian said to her fiancee's friend. 

Later that morning

“And I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the Justice of the Peace said as Stan and Gillian embraced. 

They left the courtroom and Stan dropped Gillian off at the casino so that he could take chuck back to the base.

A few hours later

Gillian was watching the tv waiting on Stan to return to their so they could start their honeymoon, when the game show was interrupted by a news bulletin, “Local and Naval officers are currently looking for an armed criminal after a Naval corpsman was killed as he attempted to stop a robbery in progress at the Navel Testing grounds this afternoon.” 

She was watching with interest as the story unfolded, when Stan came into their room holding a rag on his right arm wearing a pair of black gloves he had sworn to her had been retired.

“What's wrong Stan?”, she said as she rushed over to him.

“It's nothing, Gillian.”, He said as he went into the bathroom and grabbed some gauze he had brought with them and bandaged the bullet graze.

“My lord Stan what did you do?”, Gillian called as she saw the wound.

“I just got something I needed for the portal,” Stan said as he left the bathroom. “We're gonna have to take the honeymoon on the road though.”

“You didn't have anything to do with the robbery at the base did you?”, She asked.

“Not the one they are talking about on the news, mine was already done when we came across a couple of wiseguys attempting to rob the base payroll. Chuck sent me on my way as he stayed to help, he knew I was unarmed. I knew one of the guys involved in the robbery though and I think he recognized me and he shot me as I drove away.”, Stan said remembering seeing Crampelter among the robbers stupid enough to try and rob a bank on a military base. He had heard on the way here that Chuck had been killed by one of the robbers.

“Wait a minute, this trip was never about our eloping was it. It was all about coming here to get what ever it was that you took from the base wasn't it?” Gillian asked as she nearly broke down as she felt her heart nearly break. “You were just using me as an excuse.”

Stan couldn't even bring himself to look at her as he said, “No, I wanted us to get married.”

“Bull! Get out of here and get out of my life. I never want to see you again.” she said throwing her wedding band and her key to the Shack at him. “And don't worry I won't say anything. But I never want to see you again.”

Brokenhearted Stan grabbed his suitcase and headed out of the door. Once downstairs he got into his El Diablo and headed out of town towards a farm outside of Trenton, he had a llama to pick up. 

**Present day**

“I ended up getting the marriage annulled and moved in with my sister's family till I sold the bookstore and it's property. After I bought a new house in Massachusetts, sold my house in Gravity Falls and had all of my processions shipped to the new house.”, Gillian said. “I had forgiven Stan by then cause I loved him still, but I could never go back to Gravity Falls cause it would be too painful.” 

Soos looked at Stan for a moment before Stan said to him, “You knew I was no saint, and I told you I did a lot of things I wasn't proud of to get Ford back.”

“Oh, so it was for Ford? Well ok then. That turned out good and you wouldn't have been able to do it with out that part.” Soos said as his mind rationalized hearing that Stan had practically committed treason to get his brother back.

Gillian got up from the table and started to head for the door before she stopped, “I finally am able to come back, because I have finally forgiven myself for not staying with you Stan.” and she left the building.

Stan started to get up to go after her before he realized he wouldn't know what to say to her, he turned back to Soos and with a sigh said. “And that is why I became a cold, grouchy, old man. I had chosen to risk loosing the love of my life to try to save Ford and I realized after she told me to leave I could never risk opening up to another person again.”

“But Mr. Pines you did anyways, you took me in and became like a father to me, you hired Wendy when her father was gonna send her away to the lumberjack camp, and you took in the twins for the summer. You were never as hardhearted as you let on, were you?” Soos said looking on at the man he considers as his father. 

“Sorry, heart of stone.”, Stan said with a sarcastic tone as he tapped his chest. 

Outside

James followed Gillian as she headed towards their car, when he got in he noticed she had been crying. “What did he say to you, do I need to go back in there and teach him a lesson?” he asked as he started to open his door.

“No my child, I just learned that the reason I initially started on my journey has all ready been completed,” Gillian said holding on to his arm. 

After he re-closed his door she started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Looking back at the Shack she thought back to the man who was the reason she had originally joined her former coven in the first place and the brother she had pledged to help him get back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 32 is now in the books. I hope everyone will be happy with my reasoning behind Stan becoming the 'Cold Hearted Curmudgeon' we all know and loved. This was supposed to be told mainly from his point of view but as I wrote it seemed to flow into telling their shared story. We also learned the reasons the team was unable to reach Charger after she went through the roof of the warehouse to save the others. Hot Shot has followed the footsteps of several other comic book villains in the tradition dieing while attempting to kill a hero. And we find out what initially started the Keeper down the path that eventually led her to where she is today. Again thank you to everyone who reads and follows my stories. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/??? - toxin/antitoxin, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Four follows Thompson and Alexa on a lunch date that happens while the GH team are down in Piedmont. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream (formerly A Pleasant Dream). It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.


	33. Chapter 33

** Chapter 33 **

**Gravity Falls Monday November 19th, 2012 8:35 AM  
Mystery Shack  
Twins Room **

Dipper was deep in in his blankets and fairly sound asleep when he suddenly heard his phone go off, turning over he thought of ignoring the call but considering they hadn't heard from their mother since before they went out on there adventure yesterday he decided to answer it. 

“Hey, hi. What? No we haven't seen her yet, she wasn't supposed to leave till this morning.”, Dipper said to the voice on the other end of the line. Hearing his voice Mabel started to rouse, “Wait, she left the hospital without you last night? And her car wasn't at home last night or this morning?”

“What's going on Dipper?”, Mabel asked as she rubbed her eyes. He held up a finger but had a scared look in his eyes.

“Let us know if you find out anything else, we'll keep an eye out up here. Thanks,” Dipper said as he hung up his phone. Turning to Mabel he told her, “Mom left without waiting for Wildbill last night. And she wasn't at home when he went by last night or this morning.”

“What?”, Mabel said instantly awake. She suddenly looked almost as worried as she had been yesterday and began rambling, “No, he's wrong. Mom was just asleep last night when he got there and over slept this morning. That's it,”

She had gotten up and started getting dressed without even seeing what she had put on and she ran down stairs. Dipper dialed a number he made sure to get last night. “Hey, Paz it's Dipper. Mabel needs you.”

Dipper slowly got dressed even though he didn't need to do it and tried to slowly walk down the stairs but he was so nervous himself he ended up skipping half of the steps as he went down. Half way down he tripped and nearly fell on his face. He could have been hurt if Tony hadn't already been on his way up to check on Dipper while Francis helped Mabel. 

“You ok man?”, Tony asked as he got Dipper down the stairs, “Mabel told us what's happening.”

“Just worried, but I'm ok.”, Dipper said.

“Don't give me that crap man,” Tony said turning Dipper towards him, “remember I was you. I know all about how you always put the needs of others before your own. I know you feel like you have to be the strong one, the protector for Mabel and our whole group but right now you trying to be the 'strong' one is just gonna weaken you. You're gonna need to rely on us to be the strong ones for once and let yourself really worry. Alright?” 

“It's not like that,” Dipper said, “Mabel has been through so much, she needs help. And I called Pacifica to come help her. I'm gonna try and head out to see if I can find mom, if she left last night she should be in town already. I'll try looking around town to see if she got lost on her way here.”

“You're doing it again,” Tony said.

“NO! I need to get to go find her.”, Dipper said trying to get past Tony. But Tony blocked the way.

“No right now you need to go in and be with your sister,” Tony said.

“I don't have time!”, Dipper snapped back and pulled away from Tony. “She could be in town, she could be on the road into town, she could be somewhere along there injured, or something.”

Tony went to grab Dipper's shoulder and Dipper grabbed his arm and flipped him over against the wall. He then bolted out the door and headed to the woods next to the Shack's driveway barely missing the silver car driving away from the Shack. As soon as he thought he was out of view he grabbed his clothes and shifted pulling them inside him as he turned into a German Shepard and began running into town.

**Piedmont, California  
Pines house**

Wildbill was walking around the back yard of the pines house looking for anything that looked out of place, finding nothing he went up to the door and began examining it. The door hadn't been forced and the lock wasn't scratched in any way. He began checking the windows. Looking through the kitchen window he saw that everything looked normal other than there being breakfast dishes still in the sink. None of the windows on the bottom floor were unlocked and there wasn't any disturbances in the ground under the windows. He decided to check out one more set of options, looking around carefully to make sure no one was watching he leaped up to roof over the kitchen. Once up there he checked the first of the two windows he could reach. The room appeared to be Dipper's and like he figured the window was locked. The other window appeared to be Mabel's room and her window was unlocked. He slid the window open and climbed inside. Once in he shut the window and locked it. 

Now that he was in he began a systematic search of the house. The upper rooms were what he expected after having spent time as much time with the twins as he had recently. Mabel's walls were covered posters of the current hot music groups and there was glitter everywhere. Her closet was full of so many sweaters they were even laying on the floor. Dipper's was orderly and clean, the books selves were full of mysteries and study guides. Looking at the book case the wood on one side looked like it had been recently, well, healed. Next he went down stairs. The living-room looked the same as the last time he was here. The rest of the ground floor was clear, except for the dishes in the sink. Finally he checked Adam & Elaine's bedroom where he found her suitcases that looked like the were ready to be grabbed for the trip north. 

He looked in the garage and saw her car wasn't there and from the smell it hadn't been here for almost a day. He went back in and did the small amount of dishes for his friends while he figured out what to do. No point in them coming home to a moldy sink. 

After he was done he tried calling Dipper but didn't get an answer. He then decided to try Mabel, it rang twice and when she answered it sounded as if she had been crying, “Hey there, are you ok?”

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack   
Kitchen table**

Pacifica was sitting at the table with Mabel's head on her shoulder while Francis was making them some pancakes.

“I'm sure everything will be alright,” Pacifica said patting Mabel's hair, “she probably just left early or something.”

“I know, just after everything recently...”, Mabel said just as her phone went off. Looking done she saw it was Wildbill, “Hi Unka Cowboy. Somewhat. Just worried about mom and now Dipper. Why. Well after you called earlier he ran out of the house to look for her, after he threw Tony across the room. Yeah, clear across the room. Soos and Tony are out looking for him, but with his new ability there really is no way they can find he if he doesn't want to be found. Hold on a minute, I know someone who can do it. Talk to you later Unka Cowboy.”

She hung up and instantly dialed another number, when it was answered she called out, “Mom never went home last night and now Dipper has ran off to see if she is somewhere in town, but not before he threw Tony across the room. Soos and Tony are out looking for him, but you may want to go find him before they do.” 

**Corduroy residence**

Wendy was fretfully sleeping when her phone went off. She had the day off so she nearly let it go to voice-mail, but something in her gut told her to answer it. She didn't even have a chance to say anything before Mabel started talking, at the first chance she spoke, “He did what to Tony? Any idea where he went. Alright I'll find him. Thanks.” 

'Well now I know why I was having trouble sleeping in this morning, he needs me.' Wendy thought as she tossed some clothes on and wrote out a quick note saying 'I have to run an errand. There are frozen waffles in the freezer'. Running down stairs she slapped the note on the fridge and ran out of the door. Once she was safely hidden in the woods she pulled her ax out of her arm and became Will O'.

_“Hopefully this will still work,”_ She said to herself as she closed her eyes and reached out to him, _“Dipper I'm coming.”_

**Downtown Gravity Falls**

Soos and Tony are driving down Main Street, following a silver car as they look for Dipper. As they go they see Robbie and the crew coming out of the grocery store and pull over. Tony hops out and heads towards them.

“Hey, have you guys seen Dipper?”, Tony asks as soon as he knows they're with in earshot. 

“Nah, man. What'd the short stuff do now?”, Robbie asked earning a glare from Tony.

“His mom never went home last night, so he went out looking for her thinking she may have tried driving up from California last night,” Tony replied tersely, “He's worried something may have happened to her after everything that has been going on recently. So now Mabel is beside herself worrying about both her mom and Dipper.” 

“Man, what a Dip-s...”, Robbie started before Tony had grabbed his collar and pulled him to him.

“Watch what you say about my cousin,” Tony sneered, “I'm not as forgiving as he is.”

“Whoa man, chill.”, Lee said trying to get Tony to release his grip, “We'll keep an eye out for him.”

“Is there anything else we can do?” Thompson asked.

“Maybe go check on Mabel, Pacifica and Francis are with her but she was still pretty distraught when we left.”, Tony replied as he headed back to the truck.

“Maybe I can check out stuff online,” Tambry offered.

“Thanks,” Tony said as the truck pulled off.

“Man, Dip-stick is still ruining our fun.” Robbie blurted out after the truck was down the street.

“What is wrong with you man,” Nate said turning to him, “A friend is in need and here you are complaining that they're ruining your fun.”

“Yeah, remember it was Mabel that got us together.”, Tambry added, “If the girl needs our help I'm going, I'd suggest you come too.”

“Why should I, you've been spending more time with them and your computers than you have with me recently. Maybe I'm getting tired of coming in second, first with Wendy and now with you.”, Robbie said turning to walk the other way.

“Robbie, the Van's over here.”, Thompson called out.

“Whatever,” Robbie called back as he continued to walk away. 

“Should we follow him?”, Lee asked.

“No, let him brood for a bit. I'll talk to him later,” Tambry said as she got into the van, “let's go see if we can help at the Shack.” 

**Road out of town**

The German Sheppard was sniffing the ground along the road as he followed it under the bridge that the Gideon-bot had fallen off of just about five months ago. This was the main way into the town and he was looking for any trace that his mother had driven this way. Suddenly he felt as if he wasn't alone. Seeing a flicker of blue light off in the woods to the left side of the road, he turned and charged at them.

Once through the treeline, he shifted into Shifter and nearly tackled the source of the light before recognizing it, “What are you doing here?”

_“I'm happy to see you, too.”,_ Will O' said with a smirk, _“Glamur, asked me to check on you. She was worried you'd get hurt.”_

“Oh, yeah. Cause I haven't shown I can handle myself over the last couple of weeks,” Shifter said bitterly.

_“Come on, man. After everything you two have been through recently I think she has reason to worry,”_ Will O' came back, _“and with you running off when she needs you, I'm worried about you too. It's not like you man.”_

“Well maybe I'm not like me anymore, I mean I'm stuck in the body of some sort of monster.” Shifter almost growled, “I'm doing my best to try to protect my family, but look at all that's happened. Stan and Ford were kidnapped, dad was kidnapped and now is in some type of coma like sleep, you get partially possessed by a ghost I thought was exorcised, two guys I consider some of my best friends if not family were hospitalized, the three biggest bullies in my life have become super-villains and may have killed their own families, do I really need to go on.” 

He turns and punches a tree and nearly left a knuckle print in the bark. “And all of this is happening because of me.” 

_“Whoa, slow down there man. Where in the world is this coming from?”,_ Will O' asked her best friend and boyfriend.

“What? Everyone is thinking it,” Shifter said, “You don't think I haven't seen the stares from Ford and Stan. And if I hadn't fought back Jimmy and his guys wouldn't have done what they did. I'm just one giant screw up.”

SLAP

_“Never and I mean never talk about yourself like that again,”_ Will O' said looking at him straight in the eyes. She then reached over to him and pulled him into a hug, _“You are not a screw up. You are one of the bravest, most mature, sweetest guys I know. I don't know what has gotten into you, but you're not acting like yourself.”_

As she was hugging him all of his self doubt seemed to melt away. He no longer felt as if he was to blame for any of the problems he had been talking about earlier. And really he had no idea why he had been thinking them even, he knew he couldn't be blamed for Jimmy and his ilk nor any of the other stuff.

“What was I thinking? Besides what's happened to dad and mom possibly being missing, this really has been the best fall I've ever had.”, Shifter said as he slid out of her hug, “I don't know why, but I woke up this morning feeling bad and then I got the call from Wildbill that mom wasn't there when he went to follow her home last night and once Mabel started crying I just felt it was my fault and everything started stacking the more I thought about it.” 

**Downtown**

Robbie was walking down the street muttering to himself about how everybody seems to have left him every since the past summer had begun. Ever since the Pines twins had shown up. First Wendy dumped him, then the gang stopped hanging out with him as much, the group nearly split when he and Tambry started dating, next his band broke up once school started, now the gang wants to go baby sit a crying kid instead of hanging out like they had planned, and it seems even Tambry has turned on him. 

As he walked by the hardware store he thought about buying some rope and just showing them all, but then he see her coming out of the florist shop. She was drop dead gorgeous, long jet black hair, nice figure, a face that open a blind man's eyes. Seeing her he completely forgot what he was thinking about a moment ago. While he was looking at her he saw her wink. He did a quick look around and saw he was the only one around. Feeling emboldened he walked up to her. 

“Hi there, the names Robbie.”, He said confidently, “Maybe you've heard of me, I was the front man of Robbie V. and the Tombstones.”

“Ooh, a musician. I love musicians,” the gorgeous teen said, “the names Blair. I'm fairly new in town, I'm staying with my cousin while his parents are out of town 'reconnecting'. It seems they had some problems over the last couple years and wanted some time alone and since I'm taking a year off before college they asked if I'd come watch him while they were gone.”

“Man that sucks, getting stuck babysitting.” Robbie said still looking into her eyes.

“Oh, it's not that bad. The lil guy is so self sufficient that he practically watches himself,” Blair says as she puts a hand on Robbie's shoulder, “So what's a handsome guy like you doing all alone?” 

“Oh, just out for a walk. It's such a beautiful day I had to get some fresh air. Who knew I'd find something even more beautiful while I was out,” Robbie said almost hypnotically.

“Well maybe you could show me around then,” Blair said taking his arm.

**Woods outside the Mystery Shack**

Will O' appeared in the woods holding a lilliputtian in Shifter's clothes. He jumps from her hand and shifts back into Dipper back inside his clothes.

“Man I need to talk to Grunkle Ford about coming up with some clothe that maybe shift with me or something, sorta like what the Tremendous Trio use.” Dipper says once he's done.

_“Yeah, I guess I'm lucky,”_ Will O' said as she turned back to Wendy, “mine come with the powers.”

“Alright, let's get in there.”, Dipper said as he took her hand and they headed out of the woods towards the Shack, “I have some apologizing to do.”

Seeing Thompson's van, but not seeing Soos's truck Wendy said, “You may need to call and tell Tony and Soos you're home.”

“Shoot they're not back yet,” He said as he realized the truck wasn't there. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his phone and saw he had four missed calls, one from Mabel, one from Wildbill, one from Pacifica, and one from Tony. He tapped the call back button on his screen and called Tony, “Yeah, I'm sorry man. I don't know what came over me, I'll see you when you get back.”

When they got to the porch Wendy turned to him, “You may have to do some major damage control here man.” 

“I know, I still don't know what happened though.”, Dipper said hugging her again, “Thanks again for calming me down.”

“Anytime dork,” Wendy said pulling the brim down on his hat. 

“Whelp, Time to face the fire.” Dipper said as he went into the Shack.

“Where have you been?”, Pacifica yelled as he came through the door, “Your sister has been worried sick about you.”

“I know and I'm sorry,” Dipper said to the furious blond.

“You're telling the wrong person,” Pacifica said as she went to get Mabel.

“Well that went well,” Dipper said to Wendy.

“I knew you'd find him,” Mabel said as she came into the room along with nearly everyone else.

“You good, Funtimes?”, Nate asked as he walked up and fist bumped Dipper. 

“Yeah, I just freaked out this morning after hearing the news.” Dipper responded, “I didn't mean to abandon you sis.” 

“I know, you felt like you had to go out and solve the problem by yourself again.” Mabel said, “You have to remember you don't have to do that anymore, we have friends to help us now.” She swept her hand around the room to include everyone there.

“I know we do,” He said with a smile as he held on to Wendy's hand, “But actually that wasn't completely the reason, I felt like everything that's happened recently was all my fault so I was running out to make sure I didn't have another item on my conscious. But Wendy being there for me helped me come to the realization that I wasn't the cause.”

“Whoa, that's weird. I was actually worried this morning that I was the cause of everything and then once Paz came and held me as I cried, I came to the same realization.”, Mabel said with a shocked look on her face. Pacifica looked at her not knowing that she had had that effect on Mabel. Mabel continued, “Right now I'm just worried about mom and dad.”

“Awkward sibling hug?”, Dipper said as he walked over to her.

“Awkward sibling hug,” Mabel replied as they hugged.

“Pat, pat,” they said in unison. 

“Lord I forgot about that,” Tony said from the doorway. 

“Man, I'm sorry I threw you across the room.”, Dipper said as he turned around towards his 'cousin'.

“Water under the bridge, what I'm worried about now is if there is something in the Journal that could turn you two from conquering heroes last night to giant worrywarts this morning.”, Tony said looking at the gathered group of friends.

“Mabel can you go grab the Journal, I still need to return a phone call.” Dipper said to his sister. 

“Sure thing bro-bro,” Mabel said as it seemed she had her normal skip back in her step.

Dipper pulled out his phone and called his godfather. Upon it being answered he said, “Hey Wildbill, find out anything? You're still coming up?”

**Piedmont, California  
OSW Training Gym**

“Alright, Antonio I should only be gone for a week or so. You know most of the story-lines we're running, so you can run things while I'm gone.” Wildbill said as he was pulling some of the training weapons down off of the wall. The case he put them in looked like he was getting ready for a hardcore match. There were two pairs of tonfa, three kendo sticks, a couple of nunchaku, and a katana he was given in Japan by an old friend.

He was just about to leave when he got a call. Answering he said, “Hello. Hey Dipper I'm glad to hear from you. I've checked all of my sources down here and nothing has turned up. I also checked your house and other than her than her not being there nothing came up. I've got a friend on the force who's gonna keep an eye out for you mom. I'm just getting ready to head up there. Yeah, I need to check on you're dad.”

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack **

“Alright, yeah dad could use you. Just please keep in touch with your friend while up here,” Dipper said as he talked with Wildbill, “Ok, I'll let you go. See you when you get here.”

Tony looked around at every body and saw that someone wasn't there, “Hey where's Robbie?”

**Somewhere else in town**

Blair walked into the house and looked around for her charge. Figuring he was probably in his room she walked that way disgusted at her uncles taste in art as she passed a black silk painting. When she got to the room she opened the door and looked upon her cousin and spoke, “Well it looks like it won't be long now cuz, I've already got my hooks into Robbie and soon we'll have the prize the Valentino's are hiding.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was writing this chapter I started thinking that I was unintentionally torturing Mabel. It wasn't planned and the story has flowed that way. My original plan was to have this to happen earlier in the story to help drive the twins transformation into heroes but the other parts or the story kept pushing it back. I promise it wasn't my intention to single out Mabel. As I was writing this chapter my computer locked up on me and even though I know I was saving at least every other paragraph I ended up losing almost a page and a half worth of work. Next chance I get I'm getting a new computer. Ugh. 
> 
> Well this chapter has some interesting developments, the freak out by the twins. The fact that Dipper is now strong enough to throw Tony. The possible split of Robbie & Tambry. The chance Robbie may already have met a new girl. Some more Wildbill tidbits. Wendy and Dipper's connection is still in place. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/??? - toxin/antitoxin, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbles that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Four follows Thompson and Alexa on a lunch date that happens while the GH team are down in Piedmont. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream (formerly A Pleasant Dream). It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.


	34. Chapter 34

** Chapter 34 **

**Gravity Falls  
A little shack somewhere in the woods**

Three figures are standing in front of a tall chair with it's back to them. The first is dressed in all white, the second in all red, and the third is in all black. Next to the chair is a giant mortar and pestle. 

“Well my Knights, it seems as if two of you have had difficulty carrying out my plans to completion.”, said an older voice that sounded like knife scrapping a metal wall, came from the other side of the chair.

“Mistress,” The White Knight said, “I did as you asked, I made sure to Gather them all together and made sure they all gained abilities of some sort.”

“Yes, but one of them has yet to be active.” the metallic voice responded, “And you were to make sure one of the twins' parents didn't survive.” 

“Only one arrived so I had to make do,” The White Knight replied.

“Ah yes, but every hero needs tragedy to make them grow,” his Mistress stated.

“Yes mistress,” the Red Knight said, “and I did as asked. I found someone antagonistic to the Twins and made them more aggressive, so they would seek out training. I also prepared the antagonists to be my disciples and used them to advance the teamwork of the Gathered. I also still have an agent down there to finish cutting their ties to Piedmont.”

“But one of your disciples went rogue and attempted to eliminate all of the Gathered,” the iron voice countered, “and you personally woke your nemesis before his time.”

“Only to enhance their training mistress,” The Red Knight explained, “I want them to be ready when you need them.”

“No. You wanted your Dance Partner back,” Her iron voice intoned, “remember I can watch you all.” 

“I remember Mistress,” the Black Knight calmly said as she looked over at the White Knight, “I have picked up Rassvet's slack by making sure the mother is out of the picture and leading the last one to the discovery of his abilities.”

“Yes, my Knight. You have done great work.”, the hollow metallic voice of their Mistress rang through the building, “We shall see how you work will continue.”

“Yes my Mistress, I will follow your commands.”, the Black Knight said, “I will begin phase three at your command.” 

“It will be soon,” her Mistress said, “But for now we have other unforeseen players in the game, this Keeper and her brat, the cause of this mornings Anxiety attack on the twins, and someone has even lured away my spy with-in their group of friends. We must keep an eye out for these interruptions.” 

**Mystery Shack**

Tambry is sitting in the table in the living room at her laptop typing away, doing everything in her power to search for her friends mother. So far she hasn't turned up anything through the satellites she has hacked.

“How's it coming?”, Lee said as he walked over to Tambry. 

“Ugh, nothing. I've looked through nearly every satellite camera I can find,” Tambry said frustrated.

“Have you tried any news satellites?”, Lee suggested.

“They're next,” Tambry said.

“I'm sure you're doing your best,” Mabel said as she & Pacifica came into the living room.

“But I should be able to do more,” Tambry as she slammed he hand down on the table. No one noticed a small spark flow from her to her computer. 

**Down in the Bunker**

Several pieces of metal are stacked against on wall of a far corner of one of the longest tunnels as Ford, Stan, and Fiddleford are carrying cabling further into the bunker.

“I hope this stuff will do what you're wanting, Poindexter.”, Stan said as they continued walking.

“It will be,” Ford said, “You saw the schematics Fidds and I came up with. These cables are essential. Candy is waiting on them to get the Cryo-chamber ready. At least you aren't carrying the wall pieces.”

“You have a good point there, Sixer.”, Stan said.

“Thanks for letting me help, Mr. Pineses,” Grenda said bringing in a wall piece and sitting it with the rest.

“And I am glad to be able to repay my debt to your nephew and his mate also,” Testosteraur said as he sat down several wall pieces.

“Good job there big guy,” Grenda said punching Testosteraur in the leg.

“You're doing good also little one,” Testosteraur said lightly chucking her in the jaw.

“Alright, now that the mutual admiration society meeting is over, we have more work to do.”, Stan said as he came back down the tunnel.

**Graveyard**

“Man, Blair is too much. I'm so glad I met her,” Robbie said strumming his guitar. 

“Robert dear, are you going to be joining us for dinner tonight? Or are you going to be spending time with your friends tonight.”, his mother cheerily asked as she walked over to him.

“Yeah mom, I'll be there for dinner. I'm finished with that lot anyways,” Robbie said looking at his mother and putting down his guitar, “They left me to go do something with that Pines kid.”

“Oh, honey. I'm sorry to hear that.”, Mrs. Valentino said. 

“It's ok mom, I've gotten a new friend already. Met her while walking around town,” Robbie said with a smile.

“That's good dear. Dinner will be at 7,” she said heading back to towards the house, she really wasn't used to seeing her son smile so much in recent years.

“Uhm, thanks mom.” Robbie said as she left. He picked his guitar and begins strumming out a happy tune.

**Mystery Shack**

Soos and Melody are in the kitchen preparing lunch for everybody, slapping together some PB&J sandwiches and getting a couple of bags of chips on the table. 

“I hope they find out something out soon, they don't want to say anything after this morning but this is tearing the twins up inside.”, Melody said as she tossed together another sandwich. 

“Those little dudes are tougher than they seem,” Soos said of his adopted family. 

“I know, I just don't want to see them go through any more heartbreak,” Melody replied.

Soos reached over hugged Melody, “Thanks for being such a caring woman.”

**Open Arms Motel**

Gillian is seated at a table in the little hotel room looking over a tome studying the words with in. Her concentration is solely on the book as she memorizes more spells as she prepares for the next encounter they may have in their search. James is sitting on one of the beds reading the latest release of the Mecha Monkey 4 manga. 

“You really should be practicing instead of filling your head with that garbage,” Gillian said not even looking up from her tome. 

“Well you should have found who we are looking for by now,” James countered, “I really don't want to be stuck in this backwoods town.”

“There is little we can do until I am able to ascertain who we are looking for,” Gillian said putting her book down and getting up from her chair, I may be able to quicken up the search, but we will need to gather up supplies.”

“Beats sitting around here,” James said getting up. 

“It'll probably be best if you take your gear,” Gillian said as she grabbed her cloak.

**Mystery Shack  
Mystery Shack portable hotel room**

Nate and Thompson were coming into the room after they volunteered to check on the twins dad for them. They had done so the siblings wouldn't have to see their dad and add to their worry for the day. It was weird to know he had been asleep for nearly two days now, he looked like he was just dreaming away.

“I've said it before and I'll say it again, using sleep as a weapon sucks,” Nate said as he walked around to the side of the bed.

“I know what you mean,” Thompson replied, “he looks like he's just having a sweet dream while laying there.”

“Well I guess we should at least roll him to one side or something so he doesn't get bed sores or something,” Nate said before he reached down to move his little friends father. 

As soon as he touched him he felt a sudden pain in his gut as if someone had just kicked him, he jerked but his hand wouldn't come off of the sleeping man. As Thompson watched there seemed to be a warm glow that radiated out from Nate's hand and covered Mr. Pines body.

**Gravity Mall  
Beeblyboop's Videogames**

Alexa is standing behind the counter just drumming her fingers as people just pass by the store as they make their way through the mall. She thought about pulling out her homework and doing some of it just to pass time, but it would probably just get her in trouble with her manager. She finally settled on going through and organizing the shelves again.

“Excuse me miss,” A voice behind her asked, so she turned around to see three redheaded flannel wearing kids standing in the store, “we're wondering if you have a copy of 'Lumberjack Games XII' for the GS One system. 

“Hmm, let me see,” Alexa said as she walked back behind the counter and began typing into the stores computer system. “Hmm it looks like we sold the last copy, but I can order one from the home office. Would that be ok?”

“Well we were hoping to play it during break,” The oldest boy said before turning to his brothers, “Ok guys, is there any other games you want to get instead?”

“Let's just look around then, Rudy,” the second oldest brother said turning to look at the shelves, “maybe they'll have Dungeonmania or Fight Fighters XIII.” 

“Look Lucas, they have the latest Monstermon game,” The youngest said grabbing a game off of the wall. 

“Not on my watch Seth,” Lucas said turning to his brother, “Besides Wendy is the only one with a GS3D system.”

“Did you say Wendy?”, Alexa asked upon hearing the name, “Do you mean Wendy Corduroy?”

“Yeah, that's our big sis.” Seth said coming up to the counter, “Why do you know her?”

“Not directly. I'm dating one of her friends,” Alexa volunteered, “do you guys know Thompson?”

“Ha, that's a good one,” Lucas said slapping his leg.

“What's so funny?”, Alexa asked.

“I thought I heard you say you were dating Thompson,” Lucas said with another guffaw as his brothers cracked up, “there's no way he could get a girl that looks like you.”

“Well if that's how you feel, if you haven't found a game yet I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.”, Alexa said slamming her hands on the counter, “and don't think for a moment I won't ask Thompson to tell your sister how rude you,” she pointed specifically at Lucas, “were while in my store.”

Seeing a look they usually only see on their sister, the three Corduroy boys turn and quickly leave the store.

**Mystery Shack  
Twins room**

Dipper is sitting at his desk pouring over the binder that contained the photocopies from the three Journals. He and Wendy came upstairs after everyone seemed to settle down. Wendy was sitting on the edge of the bed watching him as he worked. 

“Find anything yet?”, she asked.

“Nothing that would be able to freak out both me and Mabel,” he replied. “I've found a few things that might be good to collect for the Bunker though.” 

“Like what?”, she asked.

“Well there's a stone that repairs itself that would be good as a practice target, a moss that pulls the hydrogen out of water leaving only oxygen that we could use to make underwater gear, fungus that can be made into a sealant to keep moisture out, and a few others.”, Dipper said looking over at his beautiful girlfriend.

“You know you can be so a-dork-able sometimes,” She said getting up to look at what he was talking about.

“I'm not adorable,” he said reflexively pouting at the comment.

“Yeah, you are. But your my adorable little dork,” she said ruffling his hair. She leaned over to give him a kiss.

“Guys, you may want to come down here,” Tony called from the stairs. 

The two of them broke apart and headed down the stairs. Francis, Soos, and Melody were coming from his room & the kitchen respectively. 

When they entered the living room they saw Nate and Thompson standing there with the Twins father. Mabel was hugging on to one side of him and as soon as he saw him Dipper ran to the other side. Pacifica was frantically texting a message to Candy.

“Dad,” Dipper said as he hugged him harder than he probably should be able, “You're awake!”

“It's good to see you too, kiddo.”, Adam Pines said as he reached down to hug his kids, “Where are your Grunkles, as you call them? The last I remember we were being attacked by three women who came up out of the lake, but since I'm here I guess those two tough old birds must have given them a what for. We need to prepare for your mother to get here Monday.”

Dipper looked at his sister, then around the room before he spoke, “Uhmm dad, you've been asleep for almost two days. Today is Monday and we haven't heard from mom since yesterday morning.”

“What are you talking about?”, Adam said first looking at Dipper and then Mabel, “this is a joke right?”

“Sorry dad,” Mabel said with a mixture of happiness and worry on her face, “believe me I wish it was. Our two friends who've been helping Unka Cowboy train us were jumped Saturday, so he's been following her home to make sure it wasn't someone with a grudge against our family or something like that. We've been trying to reach her since Unka Cowboy said she wasn't waiting on him last night. He went by the house and said it looked like she hadn't been home either.” 

Adam Pines went over to sit in the recliner as he tried to take all of this in. He really didn't know what to say. 

Ford and Stan rushed into the room a little bit breathless. 

“Glad to see you among the living kiddo,” Stan says slugging him in the shoulder. 

Seeing Adam's state, Ford walked over and placed a comforting hand on his other shoulder. 

Once all of this was done, Tony remembered why he originally called them down. He turned to Tambry and said, “You better go ahead and show them.”

Solemnly she turned the laptop so the Pines family could see she had a news station website up with a paused video showing. 

“I'm sorry guys,” Tambry said as she hit the play button.

Once the video started they heard, “And we now have an update on the semi accident that happened last night on I-5 northbound, the investigation is still ongoing. But we have learned from our sister station in Piedmont that according to his sister, Dr Enrique Corazon of Piedmont was one of the victims in the accident. He was traveling up to Oregon with a co-worker, one Elaine Pines RN, to help her out with a family emergency.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is the first reference/appearance of the first two story-line's big bad boss. And we fine out that she was intentionally trying to create the Gathered as the Gravity Heroes were call by her and her Knights. The first real appearance of the Corduroy boys (and we learn their names, in my verse at least). Robbie is thinking about Blair (and yes I know he's acting ooc, there is a reason for it). Gillian and James are gearing up for something. Nate's powers have partially debuted but no name yet because they don't know exactly what he can do yet. And we have the return of Adam Pines and the loss of Elaine Pines. How will this effect our heroes, we'll find out in the next chapter. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Four follows Thompson and Alexa on a lunch date that happens while the GH team are down in Piedmont. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Odeebee. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream (formerly A Pleasant Dream). It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 18-9-16 5-12-1-9-14-5, 23-5 19-8-1-12-12 13-9-19-19 25-15-21. 
> 
> 20-8-5 14-9-7-8-20 8-1-19 3-15-13-5 1-14-4 23-9-12-12 20-8-5 8-5-18-15-5-19 18-9-19-5 23-9-20-8 13-5-23 4-1-23-14?  
> *


	35. Chapter 35

** Chapter 35 **

**Mystery Shack Tuesday November 20th, 2012 8:35 AM**

Dipper and Mabel were laying in their room, last night was a blur after they received the news. Sometime after eight last night was Wildbill showed up, Grunkle Ford had to break the news to him. Adam was too overwhelmed and had been taken back to his room after he and the kids spent time consoling each other, Wildbill stayed with him till he went to sleep. You'd think that after two days of sleep he wouldn't be tired, but he apparently cried himself to sleep. Wendy and Pacifica stayed with the twins till they nearly collapsed. Wendy actually refused to leave Dipper or the Shack and slept on the couch. 

It was now morning and Dipper was the first in the house to get up. So he went down stairs and began making pancakes and bacon almost mechanically. Without thinking he had shifted to a taller version of himself in order to better reach the stove top and ingredients. Soon he had six plates full of pancakes and bacon. He was so engrossed in the preparation of another plate full that he didn't hear when Adam and Wildbill walked in from the back yard. 

“Morning Dipp… what the heck is going on here?”, Adam loudly asked as he looked his son who was currently almost as tall as his dad.

Dipper quickly turned around with the flapjack flying towards the table and yelled in surprise, “What!”

At the sound of the yell half of the house woke up, Wendy was in the kitchen with her ax in her hand almost before the yell had left his mouth. 

“You ok Dipper?”, she asked before she took in the scene, “Oh boy.”

“Who's, yawn, yelling in here?' Tony asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he was followed by Francis, Soos, and Melody.

“Uhm, breakfast is ready.”, Dipper deadpanned pointing at the plates on the table.

Adam sat down, trying to process what he's seeing before he asked, “What is going on here?”

“Well dad, it's a long story.” Mabel said as she joined the others in the kitchen. 

**Mountain over-looking Gravity Falls Lake**

The woods on top of the mountain were deathly quiet as the morning sun shone on the still damp trees. Along one of the paths though the was a rustling sound coming from the bushes that lined the path. Suddenly a satyr leaped from the bushes and ran quickly following the path towards the river that fed the falls. 

“I don't know nothin,” The satyr yelled back at whoever was following him.

“Now Nigel, why would I believe the best information broker in all of the Gravity Falls area would know nothing,” called out a voice that seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.

Fearing for his life the satyr attempted to run back into the bushes, when the bushes' shadows reached up and grabbed his feet. His own shadow reached up and grabbed his hands. A squeal not that far from the call of a scared goat ran through the forest. 

“I promise I didn't know that nymph was your wife, honestly.”, Nigel called out to whomever the voice belonged.

“Why dear Nigel, still up to your old tricks,” the voice said as a figure dressed in a purple hooded cloak stepped into view, followed by a shorter figure in all black. The the purple figure stepped closer to him it reached up and removed the hood.

“Gillian, my old friend. If I'd have known it was you, I would have never ran.”, Nigel said looking at the woman he really hadn't seen in nearly twenty years.

“Well, why did you run then?” Gillian asked, “We've been looking for you since yesterday.”

“To be perfectly honest, when I saw your friend there I thought the gnomes had hired some muscle to 'talk' to me.”, Nigel said looking at the figure in all black and especially at the wooden night club he wore. 

“And why would the gnomes be after you?”, Gillian asked.

“They seem to think I had sold out the Unicorn glade,” Nigel said looking around sheepishly. 

“Wait, Unicorns. Seriously?”, the black figure asked incredulously.

“What happened to the Unicorn glade?”, Gillian asked, shooting a scolding look back at her associate.

“It got fragged badly,” Nigel replied.

“You didn't have anything to do with it did you?”, Gillian calmly asked the satyr.

“No way. Celestabellebethabelle may have been a royal pain, but Chugton was my friend and my cousin Nick was there also.”, Nigel solemnly replied.

“I'm sorry to hear of your loss old friend,” Gillian said looking downcast. She then looked straight at him and asked, “I might be able to help you with your gnome problem, if you can help me. Have you ever heard of the Tome of the Sovereign?”

“Yeah, last I had heard of it though the owner was here somewhere in Gravity Falls.”, Nigel said, “After living the life of a Romanii, she settled down here to be near her great niece when it became time for her to inherit it. But apparently the niece who was to receive it was rejected because she had chosen to follow a technological path rather than a more natural path.”

“So the chosen was rejected, interesting. Maybe it is waiting to be passed on to someone who is worthy then.”, Gillian said rubbing her chin.

“Well remember it can only be used by someone who is of the direct feminine familial line of the original author, their blood is the only one able to withstand all the knowledge contained with in it.”, Nigel warily said as he started to get worried about the conversation. He was seemingly getting more agitated the longer he was in their presence.

“Are you feeling alright, Nigel?”, Gillian said noticing his state.

“Sure, I'm fine.”, Nigel said as his eyes began darting around like there was something stalking him, looking more afraid than he did the entire time he was running from him.

Thwap. Thud.

Nigel heard the noise and saw the figure in black drop to the ground. Afraid for his life, he started running as fast as his legs would let him heading straight off of the cliff and down into the lake below. 

“You did good, Mourner,” Gillian said to a figure in the in the gray tragedy mask standing in the shadows behind the fallen Yami, “He was so full of fear he did not even realize he was heading to the cliff. He's one less stool pigeon that can talk to the forest dwellers about our search. I have already defended myself against a concussion, so you may go ahead and sap me to allay any suspicion from my little helper. I will ring you again when I am in need your services again.”

Thwap. Thud.

**The Bunker**

The Cryo-laboratory tunnel has been nearly completed as McGucket and Testosteraur spent most of the night working before they both just dropped of to sleep in the middle of it's floor. The power cables had been laid the previous day and were ready to power up the pods once they were moved. There was also a computer fail safe built into a console on the back wall. The system was set on it's own network and had a power supply unit retrieved from the ship under the hill that should keep the tubes powered through the next two centuries give or take a decade. 

All in all when they were done with the base the team could almost live here. 

**Mystery Shack  
Kitchen Table**

Dipper was sitting next to his dad waving his hand in front of his face and not getting a response. He turned to his sister and said, “You know what Mabel, I think you broke dad. Did you have to tell him everything? And the light show, really?”

“I'm sorry that I'm not gonna be one of those stereo-typical comic book heroes that says 'No I can not tell my family because it will put them in danger!'.”, Mabel said slamming her fist on the table while staring at her brother, “Because if you haven't already figured it out, they already are in danger because of us! They've already attacked our friends, our family, and now they've killed mom!”

“Whoa, Mabs. When did you become the paranoid sibling? Did I miss a memo or something?”, Wendy said looking at her little friend

“I'm sorry I'm not all kittens and rainbows right now, but my mom just died. And I don't believe it was an accident, mom never knew of dad's sleeping problem so there never was an emergency for her to rush up here.”, Mabel said staring down one of her best friends. 

“Ok, no I understand man. But really I thought you'd be more teary than this,” Wendy said remembering how her friend was last night and when she thought she had lost Pacifica.

“Well I'm done letting them come after us, I'm ready to go after them.”, Mabel said almost menacingly.

“Honey, no.”, her father said in a whisper so low it was barely audible, “your mother wouldn't want that.”

“We need to hunt them down like the vermin they are,” Mabel continued as if she hadn't heard her father, “They need to know that we can't be messed with the wrong family.”

“NO!”, her father yelled, “No. Your mother only wanted you to learn to fight for self defense, she would hate to see you going out to actively seek revenge.”

“I agree with your father, Mabel.”, Wildbill finally said, “And I believe you do also, tell me how did you feel after we confronted the guys at the warehouse? Did you feel happy? Joyous? Confused? Me I felt melancholy. I felt sorrow for the families of those boys who we fought. I felt powerful, but I felt small because I had used the power for revenge and not to help others.”

“I think what he's saying is just cause we have powers, it doesn't make us judge, jury, and executioner.”, Tony said looking at his 'cousin', “Cause if we do act like that we're no better than those who we plan on fighting. I'm sure your book of knowledge and the history lesson you learned will back us up on this.”

“Look sis, we need to think this out and handle it rationally. We need to grieve and settle mom's affairs before we go off half cocked looking for who knows what,” Dipper said laying his free hand over hers.

Mabel looked at him and at her father before she broke down bawling again as she had the night before, Dipper got up and walked over to her and leaned down and hugged her. He was soon joined by their father, then Wendy, and slowly everyone else. 

**Down in Ford's lab**

Ford was standing over a row of equipment set up where the portal used to be. Most of the equipment appeared to be practically brand new. He was working on a blood and DNA analysis of the creature in the cryogenic tube back at the bunker. He the machine was finally finished running and he prepared to compare it to the sample he took from Dipper near the end of the summer and the sample he had from when he first captured the shapeshifter. Looking over results he was shocked at what he discovered.

 **Northwest Manor**

Pacifica was sitting at the breakfast table with her parents, absentmindedly picking at her food. Her parents were going on about some get together her father was planning on the family attending. He was acting like her telling them that one of her best friend's mother had died was nothing to be concerned about.

“Well, I'm not going.” Pacifica said as she got up from the table and started to head out of the dining hall.

“You haven't even touched your breakfast Pacifica, where do you think you're going?”, Priscilla asked questioningly.

“If you had been listening to me when I came home last night, I told you Dipper and Mabel's mother was killed in a car crash last night. I'm heading over to see if they need any support or just to be there for them,” Pacifica said not even turning back towards her parents so they wouldn't see the tear falling that she had been trying hold in since she got up. She couldn't tell them yet that Mabel was more than a friend. The fact that Mabel was hurting was causing her pain also. 

“Oh, them. Well they're common enough folks, they'll get over it. You shouldn't concern yourself with them anyways,” Preston said before he turned back to Priscilla, “As I was saying the Worthingson's are an old money family that own a few laboratories across the country producing pharmaceuticals. They are throwing a grand gala over the weekend in Aspen. We'll be leaving Thursday morning and we'll be back in town in time for Pacifica to be at school Monday.”

Pacifica stood firmly where she was and turned back to her parents, “You never listen to me at all, I said I'm not going. I have friends who are in pain, so I'm going to stay here and be there for them no matter what. I also had already told you I have plans for Thursday before all of this. Just cause you guys don't celebrate Thanksgiving, cause it's too 'plebeian', doesn't mean I want to miss going to the dinner if they still have it. I have been planning on going to it since the since I was invited back in August.” 

“Now Pacifica,” Preston started.

“Father, remember I found where you kept all of your old records of your shady business dealings. You wouldn't want them to get out to the BBB, the FBI, or maybe the IRS now do you. And before you say you moved them, well I made sure to make copies of all the ones I would need to put you away for along time. I'm tired of you trying to control my life. You're gonna let me be who I want to be or you'll learn I can be the vicious little girl you raised me to be,” Pacifica said with ice in her voice. She turned back and walked out of the room. 

**Mystery Shack**

“What's with this love fest going on in here,” Stan said seeing the giant group hug as he walked into the kitchen.

“Get in here you old fogey,” Tony said as he pulled Stan into the hug.

At first Stan tried to protest then he saw the hug was centered around Mabel so he relented. It felt weird at first but then he remembered that this was his family. 

As the hug was breaking apart from out in the hall they heard Ford yell, “Dipper, Mabel, Stan. I need to speak to you!” 

Though Stan was the closest, Dipper was the first to reach Ford. 

“What is it Grunkle Ford?”, Dipper said as he got there.

“I've finally analyzed the DNA sample I took from the,” Ford paused as he realized Adam was among the growing group that had ran to him after his call, Dipper mouthed 'he knows' so he continued, “Shapeshifter, from the analysis that is the shapeshifter in the bunker not your body.”

Dipper looked confused, but asked, “Then how am I able to do this?'” and he shifted from his normal body to the form he was cooking in earlier to his Shifter form and finally back to his normal form. 

“I'm not completely sure yet, it may have to do with the shapeshifter's DNA reacting differently to the Electron Carpet.”, Ford replied.

“But when he came to he was in the form of the shapeshifter,” Wendy said as she was processing this info.

“All I can say is when the DNA rewrote it self or whatever happened, that maybe it subconsciously went to the form you saw in your head as being the shapeshifter's form,” Ford pondered scratching the back of his head. 

“Though this does actually explain something to me,” Dipper said rubbing his chin.

“What?”, Wendy asked.

“I was worried our connection may have been broken due to the change, but when you were searching for me yesterday I felt you before you appeared. We were still connected,” Dipper said turning into a hug from her, “It's been in the back of my mind since then but with everything that's happened it wasn't a priority.”

“So that was the big announcement, Sixer? That Dipper was still Dipper, hell I could've told you that without all your fancy talk.”, Stan said as he scratched his back, “Whether he was in this body or another, he was still himself. No one else could pull off that good of an impersonation of the dorky kid.” 

Everybody started cracking up at Stan's unintentional joke at Dipper's expense when Wendy's phone beeped telling her she had a text message. Looking at it she read, 'Tell Dip to check his phone, I've sent him three texts'. She showed him the message and he reached to his pockets only to realize he was still in his pajama pants.

“Oops,” he said as he broke away from the group and ran up the stairs.

Once he was in his room he grabbed a pair of pants and changed into them. He then grabbed his phone to look at his texts. The first read, 'Got a pair of round trip tickets to Redding for your dad to claim your mom courtesy of Pacifica'. The second one, “Mabel was right, the crash was hinky. Semi had four blown tires that caused it the veer into your mother'. Third one read, 'Might have a small lead on white/red, need to research more after nap'.

He grabbed a small package out of his desk before he headed back down stairs and went over to his dad, “Dad, Pacifica arranged for you to have a pair of round trip tickets to Redding so you can identify and claim mom's body. Now I suggest you take Wildbill or Grunkle Stan with you...”

Stan interrupted him, “Kiddo, you know I'm banned from California.”

“Well you might be but Wilford Grissom isn't,” Dipper said with a smile as he pulled a Canadian passport and a Vancouver driver's license. 

“Where'd you get… nevermind I don't want to know,” Stan said as he took the offered paperwork. 

“Oh great, not only do I learn my kids are some type of super hero but I learn that my uncle has taught them to follow in his foot steps,” Adam said with a small smirk as he tries to find something to raise his own spirits after the last couple of days.

“Well, dad, when we first started figuring out if we were doing this I knew we would need someone who could walk into most unsavory areas and talk their way back out of it and who better than Mr Mystery himself. I mean look how long he had this whole town and even his own family fooled,” Dipper said as he smiled back as his father, “So I called in a few favors from a couple of Weirdmageddon survivors and once we had what we needed it didn't take Tambers long to get them whipped up.” 

“I guess I can't argue with you there,” Adam replied. 

“Let the old man go with you Adam, I'll stay here and keep an eye on the kids.” Wildbill said as he walked up to his old friend. 

“Ok Stan, grab a day or two's worth of clothes,” Adam said.

“From this decade,” Dipper said remembering his outfit from the diner that time he ran for election.

“Ha, ha.”, Stan said as he headed back to his room to pack. 

“Morning everybody,” Pacifica said as she walked into the gift shop area. 

“Morning Paz, Mabel is in the kitchen eating pancakes.”, Dipper said looking at his sister's blond girlfriend, “I think she really needs you, she's already hit stage two.” 

“On it,” Pacifica said heading to the kitchen as fast as she could.

“Stage two?”, Adam asked.

“The second stage in the five stages of grief,” Wendy offered, “We looked them up after the original shapeshifter incident over the summer. Dip, was trying to rationalize something he said and well. In order they're denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.”

“Ah, well yeah she sure was angry this morning.”, Adam said as he walked towards the kitchen and saw Pacifica and his daughter hugging and then they shared a little peck. His first thought was, 'What the hell. It's not the weirdest thing I've seen today and if they make each other happy, well who am I to judge.' He continued on to his room to grab his clothes. 

**Nate's house  
Garage**

Thompson, Lee, and Nate were sitting around playing video games in the garage that Nate had converted to be a game room for him and his friends. Lee was currently winning the Battle Royale match they were having in the Retro Pro Wrestling game. Thompson was the third guy in the match and tenth thrown out. 

“Alright man, only one guy left then it's just you and me Nate,” Lee said as his character was slamming a guy into the turnbuckle. 

“Aw man, it's Dr Spinebuster.”, Nate said as the last entrant made his way to the ring.

“You know, with a name like that you'd think they'd have given him a spine-buster in his moveset.”, Lee said laughing. 

“Hey Nate, did Tambry ever find out about that Dr for you?”, Thompson asked while watching the fight, “I mean with what happened yesterday I'd be more than a little bit worried.”

Lee hit the pause button, looked at Nate and Thompson, and asked. “What do you mean after what happened yesterday?”

“There was some real 'laying of the hands' type stuff going on,” Thompson said animatedly.

“Whoa man, I didn't need to know that. And Thompson I thought you had a girlfriend,” Lee said shocked.

“No man, I'm talking like a faith healer style “laying of the hands' stuff. Not the other stuff man. How else do you think Mabel and Dipper's dad woke up.” Thompson admonished his friend.

“You mean you healed him?” Lee asked Nate directly this time.

“I don't know if I'd say that exactly, When I went to move him around so he wouldn't start to develop bed sores, as I touched him I felt there was something wrong and my body reacted.”, Nate said looking back at his two friends, “But I don't think it's healing specifically though. Because when I got home last night my dad had sliced his thumb and as I bandaged him I didn't feel anything.” 

“Maybe when Dipper and Mabel are doing better we can see if they can help figure it out,” Lee said, “I mean for a short fry, Dr Funtimes is smart as hell.” 

**Valentino house**

“Robbie, can you to come down dear.” Mrs Valentino calls up the stairs to her.

“Alright, On my way,” she hears her son call back. What she sees as he comes down the stairs takes her back. Even though he still had on his hoodie there were several differences in his appearance, his hair was combed with a part down the middle, he didn't have any eyeliner on, his fingerless gloves were gone, he had on regular jeans, and the biggest change was the grin on his face.

“Are you feeling good today Robbie?”, Mrs Valentino asked.

“Oh yes, mom. I feel great,” Robbie said looking at his mom, “So what did you need mom?”

“I wanted to let you know that your friends Mabel and Dipper lost their mother last night,” Mrs Valentino looking a little more somber than normal seeing as this was a parent of her son's friend.

“Oh, so were you wanting me to go offer our services then?”, Robbie said with a sincere smile on his face.

“No, they're from California remember. They'll probably have the services down there. I just thought you'd want to go offer them some condolences,” Mrs Valentino said as she was trying to figure out what's come over her son.

“Good idea mom, I'll stop by there later. I'm heading out to meet Blair for brunch. See you later,” Robbie said before he started whistling as he walked out to his van. 

**Mystery Shack  
Dipper's room**

Dipper is sitting at his desk after seeing Stan and his dad drive off to Portland so they can go claim his mother's body. He was just sitting reading through the collected journals and didn't even notice when Wendy had walked into the room and sat down on his bed.

“So how long are you gonna stare at the same page man?”, Wendy said a few minutes after she had entered the room.

His head jolted up as he looked over at her shocked to see her in his room, “How long have you been there?” 

“Long enough to play two games of solitaire,” she replied getting up and helping him to his feet, “but you didn't answer my question. I mean I know you love to study the Journals but considering all of the stuff we've done to the gnomes, I don't think you need to stare a hole through their page.” 

“I'm just needed to see if there is anything we could have missed,” he started trying to come up with an excuse, only for her to shush him.

“No man, what you need to do is realize you and I are the only ones here and that you don't need to be the strong one for everyone now. Just come over here and let it all out man.” she said just holding him close.

As she held him he just collapsed in her arms crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well how is every body doing? Chapter 35 in in the books. So far this chapter we saw a little bit of how some of the team is dealing with the loss of Elaine Pines. Mabel has again entered the angry stage (I'd really feel sorry for anyone who tried to pick on Dipper right now), Ford has secluded himself back into his studies, Stan is being stoic as usual, Adam is still in shock as even more has been added to his plate today, Pacifica has shown she can still be a Northwest when pushed (though she uses this power for good ;-) ), Wendy is there for her boy and her adopted family, and Dipper is being the rock of the family (But even rocks can crumble). We've met another of the Keeper's allies, Mourner. His mask is based on the common theatrical symbols of the comedy and tragedy masks. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Four follows Thompson and Alexa on a lunch date that happens while the GH team are down in Piedmont. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Odeebee. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-5 3-8-1-14-7-5 13-1-25 2-5 6-1-19-20, 2-21-20 23-9-12-12 20-8-5 18-5-16-5-18-3-21-19-19-9-15-14-19 12-1-19-20?


	36. Chapter 36

** Chapter 36 **

That night ended similar to the last, Pacifica stayed with Mabel for as long as she could, Wendy again refused to leave Dipper or the Shack, Francis and Tony had went down with Ford to check out his lab, Soos keep fluttering around to make sure everyone was doing good, and Melody had made chili for dinner. Wildbill spent the evening watching the perimeter around the Shack. After dinner Wendy, Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica tried to watch one of the bad movies Dipper brought, but Mabel and Pacifica couldn't get into it and left about a fifth of the way through it. Dipper really just droned through it cuddled into Wendy. His heart wasn't into it after he finally broke down earlier. 

By the time Pacifica left, she found Dipper and Wendy asleep on the couch. She turned off the TV, then pulled a blanket off of the back of the sofa, and covered her two friends. She smiled as Valerie climbed out from behind the sofa, jumped up, and laid on top of the blanket. Then she went out behind the shack and pushed the button on her key fob. The Charger armor appeared and she climbed in and shot off into the night.

**In the Bunker Wednesday November 21st, 2012 10:45 AM**

The walls were coming along splendidly as Ford, Fiddleford, Testosteraur, Candy, Grenda, and the Clondike twins were all working on getting every thing together. The twins and Candy were in charge of clearing the tunnels of any debris and laying down wiring where it was needed. Meanwhile Grenda and Testosteraur held the wall panels for Ford and Fiddleford to fasten them in place. 

“I'm so glad I'm able help here,” Grenda said as she held up another wall panel, “This place is gonna be so great once it's done.”

“It will be little one,” Testosteraur replied, “for it follows the plans of Destructor and his family.” 

“I think he goes by Shifter now,” Grenda countered with a smirk. 

“Ah, but he will always be Destructor to the Manotaurs,” Testosteraur countered, “though I'm sorry to hear of the loss of his mother. That is a sorrow that is hard to overcome, even for the most hardy of men.”

“Yea, but Dipper ain't like most men,” Fiddleford said joining, “he's stood toe ta toe wid Cipher an didn bat an eyeball. He'll come through this.” 

“Yes, my great nephew is strong. But this is a test of the heart not of the will,” Ford added, “I know he tries to be strong for everyone else, but he needs to let himself grieve in order to be able to move on. Luckily he's got plenty of support.”

**Greasy's Diner**

Nate, Lee, & Tambry are sitting at a booth eating brunch and talking over some of the stuff that had been happening around town. The biggest thing they talked about though is the fact that none of them had seen Robbie since he walked off the other day. Other than right after he & Wendy split during the summer this is the longest that he's not been seen by at least one of them.

“Ok, I know he was steamed the other day, but really man where could he be?”, Lee asked. 

“He's not even responding to my texts,” Tambry added.

“Dude, this is messed up,” Nate said as he looked out from booth. 

As Tambry and Lee got up to see what Nate was looking at. Robbie had just walked into the Diner arm in arm with a drop dead gorgeous, raven haired teen. The weirdest thing was Robbie himself, he was wearing regular jeans and a t-shirt. 

Tambry shot out of the booth and went straight for them, “I don't know who you think you are lady, but that's my man you have your arms around.” 

“Robbie dear, who is this purple haired freak?”, the young lady with Robbie asked.

“Tambry this is Blair, my new girlfriend.”, Robbie said to Tambry as a way of introduction before turning to Blair and adding, “Blair this is Tambry, a mistake I made near the end of the summer.” 

By now Nate had gotten up and joined Tambry, “Man that's way messed up.”

Lee came over and added, “You need to apologize, Robbie.” 

“Why should I,” Robbie replied getting into to Lee's face, “she dragged me along for a couple of months then suddenly started running every time Wendy or Dipper or any of their friends called. No matter what we were doing at the time. I'm tired of rolling in the gutters, so I stepped up to better myself and found a better woman in the process.” 

Blair leaned over and kissed Robbie on the cheek before speaking to Tambry, “Apparently you weren't woman enough to keep him, little girl.”

Tambry hauled off and slapped Blair so hard she head butted Robbie. She then stormed out of the diner and started crying as she ran towards her house. After giving Robbie a set of dirty looks Lee and Nate ran after her. 

**Mystery Shack**

Mabel slept in after the late night talking with Pacifica and upon waking up saw that Dipper's bed either had been made or more than likely he didn't sleep upstairs last night. She held waddles for a few minutes and then finally decided to get up. She came down stairs and found Dipper and Wendy cuddled together on the sofa with Valerie on top of them. Apparently they fell asleep during their movie night. She pulled out her phone and took a couple of pictures before finally yelling “Scrapbook-atunity!”

They jumped up with a started at her voice. Valerie flew across the room and headed towards cover inside the old cow skull next to Grunkle Stan's recliner.

“Aw, look at you two lovebirds,” Mabel said as she took another picture before running off to keep them from retaliating. She was trying to get back into acting like her old self after Pacifica said she was worried about the way she was acting last night. She really felt like she needed to try to be silly to help everybody get through this, she knew Dipper was trying to hold the weight of everything for her and dad. If he can do that, she can try to bring out a little of the old Mabel charm to help out. 

“How ya doing today, Hambone?”, Soos asked as he was doing some stocking in the gift shop.

“Pretty good Soos, all good.”, Mabel said as she skipped and pirouetted towards the kitchen. Soos stood there scratching his head as she acted completely different than she had just yesterday. 

“Hi Melody,” Mabel said as she passed her heading into the kitchen.

“Hey Mabel, You seem chipper today,” Melody commented to her little friend.

'Just trying to keep things positive,” Mabel said as she went to the fridge. She pulled out some butter and went over to the toaster to toss in a couple of bread slices. Once they were done she buttered them and sat at the table. 

“You're dead if that picture gets out, Mabel.”, Wendy said with a smile as she and Dipper walked into the kitchen.

“Want some french toast?”, Dipper asked Wendy ask he grabbed a couple of eggs from the fridge. 

“Sure thing, Dip.”, Wendy said sitting down and looking at Mabel. For the first time in awhile she was looking like the Mabel of old. But something was off, there were stickers on her sweater, her smile was there, but it didn't reach her eyes. She really seemed to be trying to put on a good front, but she was still hurting on the inside. Wendy got up and walked over to her friend and just hugged her. 

“Thanks, Wendy.”, Mabel said as her fake happy veneer cracked. 

“No problem, Mabs. I've been there,” Wendy said remembering she was about the same age when her mom died and it was also an automobile accident, “I've never told you guys about my mom, have I?”

Dipper walked over with three plates of french toast and set them on the table, before he reached over and held her hand.

“It was a few weeks after my eleventh birthday, mom had driven to Portland to pick up some supplies for my uncles logging camp. She was working in the office part time since Seth was just in second grade. She always wanted to be home to see us off and to be there when we got home.”, Wendy continued squeezing Dipper's hand in return, “That day we knew she was gonna be running late due to the supply run, but she never made it home. On her way home there was a guy who had about twelve beers too many and crossed the median, he hit her head on. The jerk barely had whiplash and my mom was in a coma for a month before she finally passed on. My hat was the last gift I got from her, she said I needed it to continue the family tradition.”

“You mean, you gave me the last gift you had gotten from your mom?”, Dipper said in shock.

“I meant it when I told you that 'you mean a lot to me',” Wendy said, “I knew then when you came back I was gonna try and see if this could work.”

Mabel pulled Wendy into a hug that was so strong that she was having trouble breathing, but she heard Mabel's sobs so she just let her keep hugging. 

After a couple of minutes Mabel pulled away from the hug, “Thanks Wendy, I needed that. I'm sorry about your mom, I did always wonder though. Thank you for feeling comfortable enough that you could share that with us. I know it probably hurt to bring it up.” 

“No problem squirt, you're family and as family you needed to know.”, Wendy said ruffling her friends hair. 

They went ahead and ate their french toast in silence. 

**McGucket Mansion**

Pacifica had spent the night here after leaving the Shack last night. After the way she had left her house yesterday, she didn't feel like it would be that warm of a welcoming when she got home. If she wasn't just thirteen she possibly would've attempted to get legally emancipated by now. Heck she wouldn't be surprised to find her room had been tossed when she got home. But they wouldn't find the flash drive with the files on it, she placed it in the Bunker the first time they went there. She typed in a code to be sent by text to a server she had set up that would send a message to Mabel and Dipper telling them about the flash drive if it doesn't receive the coded text every three days. It's not paranoia if you know what they'll actually do to you.

She walked over to the closet and grabbed out an outfit and then went into her bathroom and took a long shower.

**Redding, California  
24/7 Motels **

After getting into town late due to a delayed flight, Adam and Wilford (ie Stan) had to get a hotel room instead of being able to go straight to the morgue to arrange for Elaine to be picked up. They ended up getting a double and Stan listened to Adam share stories all night. 

When they got up the next morning they went to an Up-N-Down to get a quick breakfast. Having just ate, Stan suggested they go back to the room to call a few places to get an idea on the funeral arrangements. He had an ulterior motive though, he wanted to give Adam some time to digest his breakfast some before heading to see Elaine. He already knew his nephew was gonna take it badly, last night he had even talked about selling their house cause he knew he wouldn't be able to live there without Elaine. 

As an after thought Stan gave Adam one of the Valentino's business cards, “They're good folk, a little too cheerful for morticians but good folk. It's an option if you want to keep her near family, I mean I remember her family was from back east, but her parents are gone now aren't they? If you were really serious about moving, I know someplace the kids wouldn't mind moving. You'd have to find your own place though, cause I don't think Soos would want to have a full house for too long. It's gonna be tough enough on him when Ford and I head out on our next expedition, with him watching Tony and Francis for us.”

“Thanks Stan, I may actually think about that. I know the fact that the kids could not stop talking about everyone up there is one of the reasons we came up for Thanksgiving instead of inviting you guys down.”, Adam said looking at the business card. 

**Gravity Falls  
A little shack somewhere in the woods**

The woman sitting in the chair next to the giant mortar and pestle still looked out the frosted window with her back to her Knights. Along one wall were several small stone statues that looked like Fairies and Gnomes, plus a few other random species. Among these statuary pieces was an egg sitting on a down filled rabbit skin pillow. 

“My Knights, we shall give the gathered an amount of time to mourn. The father of the changer and the witch is close to deciding to move here permanently. Once this is done we shall begin act three of our play,” The voice of iron said to her willing servants, “Is there any updates on our lost spy?”

“Mistress, he seems to have fallen out of our realm of sight.” The White Knight spoke. “I have an agent out checking the town to see if there is any sign of him. He is powerless, so I do not know how he is able to mask himself from us.”

“I too have an agent searching the area out side of the town, if he shows up we will know Mistress.”, The Red Knight intoned.

“I removed some previous influence that had infected him recently the last time I saw him, Mistress.”, The Black Knight added, “The current form he holds was temporarily assaulted by some other pantheon. Even though he has not awaken yet, you still hold the power over his death if all else fails Mistress.” 

“Yes, but then we would have to wait for the needle to regenerate and to hunt him down once he was born anew. It would be such a hassle,” The metallic voice said a little peevishly, “We only found him this time due to the fact we were already working on the Gathered in this region.”

**Mystery Shack**

Wildbill is sitting out on the yellow sofa on the porch when he sees the truck pulling down the driveway, he notices the drive was a blond with long hair. There also appeared to be two others in the truck also, a girl with black and purple hair, and a guy in a trucker cap. None of these look anything like the friends of the twins that he has met yet, so he flips open the strap that holds his pistol in his shoulder holster in case he needs to get it. 

The door of the shack opened and out came Dipper and Wendy.

“Relax cowboy,” Wendy said noticing him watching her friends pull up in the truck, “They're friendlies.”

“With everything that's happened recently, you can't be too careful.”, Wildbill said still keeping one eye on the teenagers getting out of the truck until he notices the young lady looks like she is in some serious emotional distress, “Dipper, take your friends into your dad's room to talk.”

He tossed the room key to Dipper, “Your friend looks she may need to talk some and the less ears might be better.”

“Thanks, Wildbill.”, Dipper said as he and Wendy led Tambry to the temporary house his dad was staying in. Lee and Nate followed close behind.

Once they were inside Dipper told Nate and Lee to take the chairs and Wendy led Tambry over to sit on the bed.

“Alright now what happened?”, Wendy asked her oldest friend. 

“It's Robbie,” Tambry said as she started to cry again, “Apparently he's broke up with me and is dating someone else now.”

“What?”, Dipper said sounding almost more shocked than Tambry did. He knew that they were under the spell of the Love God, there's no way that it should have worn off anytime in the next decade from the research he did once he was back down in Piedmont. Something was definitely wrong. 

“And he's changed. I mean the guy I saw today definitely wasn't the same Robbie I've know for years,” Lee added.

“He didn't even have his hoodie with him, let alone on. It was weird, I'm not sure I've seen him without that hoodie other than in Gym class since middle school.”, Nate added. 

“And that bimbo he was with,” Tambry stopped crying and was starting to get angry. “She was just hanging on him like they had been together for years. He introduced her to me as his new girlfriend, I didn't even know we had broken up, and he introduce me as 'a mistake he made over the summer'. Really, like that's all we were.” 

“I always knew he was scum,”Dipper said temporarily forgetting about the love potion, right now he was worried about his friend and what he will do to Robbie the next time he sees him. He looks at Wendy and realizes she was thinking along the same lines. Oh he wouldn't want to be Robbie anytime soon. 

“Do you need anything?”, Wendy asked sitting down and hugging her friend.

“Just being here for me is enough right now,”Tambry said hugging back. 

Just then Dipper's phone went off, it was Mabel so he answered it. “Whatcha need sis?”

After listening to what she said he turned to Wendy, “There's a robbery with a hostage situation going on down town at the bank. You think we should go help out, I mean it is Blubs and Durland out there.” 

Tambry wiped her eyes and stood up, “You guys go, I'll use the computer set up in the Shack to give you guys some back up.”

“You sure you're up to this, Tambers?”, Wendy asked. 

“Not only am I sure I'm ready, I'm sure I need this right now. To feel the touch of the keyboard under my fingers and my eyes on the net, I can't be hurt there.”, Tambry said as she headed towards the door. 

Wendy turned to Nate and Lee as they followed them out towards the Shack and mouthed, 'Keep an eye on her.'

Once inside they ran into Mabel and she said, “I've already call Paz and she'll meet us there. Xolgs Lu Kilgvxgrlm!” 

Once again her clothes changed into the clothes of Glamur. Dipper shifted into Shifter as Wendy pulled out her spectral ax once again turning her into Will O'.

Once they were changed Glamur called out, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and in a golden glow they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Chapter 36 concludes. Still working on the some of the emotional fall out from the death of Elaine Pines. The return of Valerie and Waddles. Robbie is even more of a jerk. A little bit of bonding between Grenda and Testosteraur over some hard labor. The story behind Wendy's mom and Dipper learns how important the hat swap really was. Pacifica uses her second bedroom. Stan and Adam have a little talk. Next chapter the GH tackle a hostage situation at Gravity Falls First National. 
> 
> The names so far:  
>  Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
>  Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
>  Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
>  Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
>  Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
>  Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich  
>  Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
>  Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
>  ???/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
>  Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Four follows Thompson and Alexa on a lunch date that happens while the GH team are down in Piedmont. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. They're back, I can now see the reviews on the site again so please feel free to review.
> 
> 20-8-5 9-13-13-15-18-20-1-12 15-14-5 9-19 18-5-2-15-18-14 20-15 12-9-22-5 20-9-12-12 20-8-5 14-5-5-4-12-5 2-18-5-1-11-19.


	37. Chapter 37

** Chapter 37 **

**Inside the Bunker**

Tony was hauling some cable down the hall that was eventually gonna be the kitchen when he noticed he was the only one working in this hall. Once he got the cables stretched out till the end he went off the find his brother. As he made it to the tunnel he had veered off from he heard voices coming from one of the other off shoots.

“So why did you leave like that yesterday?”, he heard Candy ask. 

Tony knew a good bit of the story, his brother told him before they went to bed last night. After getting the news about Dipper and Mabel's mother yesterday, Francis had went ahead and gone to the Museum with Candy like they had originally planned for the day. Less than a quarter of the way through it though Candy told him she could tell he wasn't having the fun the two of them had hoped. When she had asked if it was her fault that the date was going bad, he had finally told her about the accident. He had thought that since she wasn't really his mother that it wouldn't have affected him, but his memories of her proved him wrong and he broke down crying. They spent the rest of the date on a bench out on a bench near the Museum, with Candy consoling him. When he finally walked her to her door, he took a chance and gave her a quick little kiss before he turned to leave. He had arrived back at the shack in time to join Tony and Ford in going to the basement.

“I didn't want to know if I had screwed up,” he heard Francis say, “After Dipper and Mabel's mother's death, I realized that none of us are certain what will happen next. I knew I liked you, so my heart told me to just do it. But no sooner had I done it, as looked at you I saw the shocked look on your face and I felt I may have made a mistake. So I left before you could tell me that you just wanted to be friends. I'm sorry I messed things...” 

The next thing Tony heard was what sounded a muffled, umph. Then he heard Candy say, “I thought you left due to me not kissing you back, I am sorry. It is not that I did not like it, it was just a shock.”

“So you didn't mind?”, Tony heard Francis ask.

“No, I just was not expecting it so soon. I thought it would be another date or two before that happened,” Candy said as Tony walked away to give them more privacy. 

**Gravity Falls First National**

The inside of the bank is like most others with the velvet ropes that lead the patrons to to the tellers behind their counters and a vault that holds the bi-weekly payroll for both the Northwest factory and the nearby lumberjack company. Currently though the tellers and the patrons who were unlucky enough to have been in the bank when the group of robbers had entered were all tied together barricading both the doors and the only window in the building. The only people moving freely were the bank robbers them selves. They all wore at least one piece of clothing the was seemingly splattered with a purple mesh design. 

“Well boys, what are we gonna do now.” the short haired blond said as she looked at her compatriots, “The only reason we came to this podunk town is cause Toast-T there,” pointing to the guy who was missing his left hand, “thought it'd be easy to rob a small town bank.”

Toast-T looked at her and replied, “Hey Barbi, don't blame me that some fat punk was able to hide his cell phone and called the cops. Duster,” he was point to a large African American guy in a black trench coat with the purple mesh design covering it, “was in charge of getting all of the items from the rubes.”

“Oh shut yer yap, boy.”, Duster said looking at the taller of the two brothers, “It was your brother, the Wiz, and his little gadget that was supposed to help crack the safe so easy and quick that we should've been outta here before now.”

“And my designs should've worked, especially on a small town bank vault like this one should have had. But for some reason this backwater burgh has a state of the art vault that with out the proper codes could take weeks to open,” Wiz said as he looked over at the box he had attempted to use on the vault. 

'You know what, I'm not int the mood to wait.”, Toast-T said turning his pistol towards the hostages, “So which of you rubes has the numbers for the safe?”

At first no one seemed to answer, so he walked up to one of the tellers and placed his gun to the bridge of her nose. One of the other tellers then pointed to an older gentleman in a gray suit that the robbers had assumed was a bank patron. 

“Alright old man, you're gonna get us into that vault. Or you'll get to learn why I'm called Toast-T,” the gang banger said as he led the apparent bank manager to the vault door. 

Behind him there was a bright golden glow that disappeared as soon as it arrived, when the gang turned to see where it came from there they saw there were four people in weird costumes standing in between them and the hostages.

“Delphi we're in, watch the feed.”, Shifter said with a hand on his ear. As he turned to the hostages, he saw a face he recognized and said, “Thompson, get them out of the door now!”

“You got it,” Thompson said as he started pulling the people tied to him towards the door.

“Nbhgrx Hsrvow!”, intoned Glamur pointing backwards and throwing up her shield between the hostages and the gang members. 

Will O' faded out of sight and reappeared next to the manager before disappearing again with him.

 _“I seriously suggest the four of you surrender,”_ Charger called out. 

“To four costume party rejects with some cheap parlor tricks, boy please.”, Duster replied in a snide tone, “Let's show these yolkels why nobody messes with the Purple Haze gang.” and with that they opened fire on the three heroes still in the room. 

**Outside**

Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland were behind their patrol car along with the other two deputies of the Gravity Falls Sheriff Department. They were waiting on back up from the State Police when the hostages began pouring out of the door while still tied together. Deputy Steve Maloney rushed over and began leading the hostages away with the help of a teenager in the jacket of the local movie theater. As this was going on the bank manager suddenly appeared next to Blubs and Durland. 

A ghostly looking woman with flaming blue hair was next to him and told the officers, “My friends and I will handle the robbers inside, it is best that you tend to the hostages and keep the innocent away from the area.”

Blubs was about to respond when gunfire broke out in the bank.

“Well, that's my cue to get back in there,” the ghostly woman said as she faded out of sight.

**Inside the bank**

Glamur had raised another shield covering her and Shifter while Charger just started to move towards the gang as the bullets bounced off of her. Will O' slid up from the floor next to Shifter.

“Alright how do we want to do this?”, She asked him.

“There's only the four of them, so one on one should be ok. Charger seems to be heading for the big guy. Glamur, you take the tall one by the vault.”, Shifter said still trying to figure out how he became the leader.

“Ok, I'll take lefty then.”, Will O' said bolting off towards Toast-T.

“And well that leaves me fighting the girl,” Shifter said for once wishing he hadn't been raised a gentleman. As soon as Glamur dropped her shield he began a run towards the blond.

“So metal man, it looks like we're squaring off.”, Duster said to Charger as she headed his way.

 _“Looks like it, first let's get rid of that peashooter.”_ Charger said as she raised her right hand and shrunk his mp-5 to near non existence.

“Well it looks like that fancy tin suit does more than just stop bullets,” Duster said ask he stepped back and lifted up his left hand palm forward. “let's see how it holds up to a sandstorm.” and with that a powerful cone of silica shoots out of the palm of his left hand temporarily blinding Charger.

Meanwhile 

“Izrmyld Yozhg!”, Glamur intoned sending a blast of rainbow light towards the Wiz blinding him and causing him to drop his gun. She rushed at him and attempted to tackle him only to be stopped a foot away as if she hit a solid wall. 

“Don't you know only the privileged are granted an audience with the great and powerful Wiz,” he said as she seemingly slid down his force field.

As she hit the floor her hand fell upon his shadow, “Yrmw Gsv Hszwld!” and then she rolled away from him. As she stood up he attempted to go after him but was stopped as if he couldn't move from the spot. 

“What did you do to me?”, he yelled. 

“Oh, nothing more than nailing your shadow to that spot.”, Glamur replied.

Elsewhere

Toast-T had seen the girl in white attempt to tackle his brother and laughed as she hit the floor, but once he saw that he couldn't move he pulled his gun up to shoot her.

 _“Ah, ah, ah. That's not very nice,”_ he heard as a ghostly white hand pulled his gun away from him. He backed away as the ghostly figure coalesced in between him and his brother. 

“What are you?”, Toast-T asked backing up further.

“I'm the forest's Champion of Justice! The name's Will O' and you are here to cause hardship on those for whom the forest cares,” Will O' said as she brought her ax to the forefront.

“Oh, so you work for the woods, I guess you must be easy to burn.” he said raising his remaining hand towards her and shooting a ball of fire at her.

Will O' just stood there looking at the guy like he was stupid as the fireball hit her in the chest before she spoke, _“Dude, really? My hair is made of fire, did you really think that would work?”_

“Well I hoped it would,” He said sheepishly

Finally 

“Good, I get the handsome one,” Barbi said as Shifter ran towards her, she even lowered her gun. 

“That doesn't seem very smart,” Shifter said as he came with in arms reach of her before he suddenly stopped.

“Aw, what's wrong loverboy? You lose your will to fight me? Too much of a gentleman to hit a lady,” Barbie said as she walked over to Shifter and ran a finger across his jaw line. She then walked around him admiring his physique. 

As she made her way back around to the front of him his hand shot out and knocked the gun away from her before saying, “Nah, I was waiting to see how long it would take you to figure out you can't control my mind.” 

He then grabbed a hold of her and threw her into Toast-T. As he started to run over to fight side by side with Will O' he heard some one below him yell, “Barbi!” 

The next then he knew he had someone run run up his leg and a pair of small closed fists hit him under his jaw causing him to fly backwards. What he saw as he got back up was what looked like a Palm Beach Casey doll running over to check on the blond, Barbi he guessed.

**Redding, California**

After having made arrangements with the funeral service to pick up the body once it was released, Adam and Stan headed to the morgue to identify the twins mother. After speaking to the attendant at the desk the two waited for nearly a half hour before a coroner's assistant came out to meet them, after Adam produced his identification and told the assistant that Stan was his wife's uncle from Canada they were allowed to view the body. Once Adam saw his wife he nearly collapsed on the floor and only stayed upright due to Stan's firm grip on his shoulders. Now that she had been identified they were led back out to the attendant where they passed on the information for the funeral company and arranged for the body to be picked up.

Now that the hard part was over Stan thought that they should eat again before they flew back up to Portland. He had arranged for the flight while Adam was making the arrangements with the attendant. After returning the car to the rental company they just made it to the terminal in order to catch their flight. 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack**

Melody was preparing to close the gift shop for lunch when she heard someone coming in through the kitchen door. Flipping over the closed for lunch sign, she headed back towards the kitchen to see Ford, Tony, Francis, Candy, & Grenda finishing coming in from the backyard. 

“Well we've worked up an appetite, what's there to eat?”, Grenda asked as she headed over to start looking in fridge.

“Yes, food would be good.”, Candy added though her attention seemed to be on someone else.

Francis didn't seem to be listening to anything, he was still looking at Candy with the same expression he had had on his face during the whole trip out of the Bunker.

Ford on the other hand was talking to Tony. “The DNA analysis I ran on you and your brother should be finished sometime this evening. I do not see it being to much different than Dipper's. Now we really need to start testing everybody to both see what type of limitations you have and to make sure there are no ill side effects from your abilities.”

“Ok, Ford. I get most of that, but really shouldn't we get the others before we start discussing doing any types of tests on anyone.”, Tony countered his 'Grandpa' Ford.

“Of course child, I'm just getting ahead of myself. While I was on the other side there were times where the only way I could survive was to think and work out problems in a non linear way,” Ford said as he looked out at his now extended family, he turned to Melody and asked. “Where is everybody?”

“Uhm, Let's see Nate, Lee, and Tambry are in on the Computer. William is in Adam's room finally taking a nap. Soos is in the office working out some winter ideas for the Shack. You guys are here,” Melody said trying to avoid the answer she knows he's actually looking for.

“Ok, now where are Dipper, Wendy, and Mabel?”, Ford said rubbing his right temple.

Knowing that she can't put it off any more, Melody replied, “Oh, they're downtown stopping a bank robbery.”

 **Gravity Falls First National**

Glamur couldn't believe she had just seen a Palm Beach Casey doll just run up and knock her brother off his feet. Seeing the doll size teen run over to the two robbers that Shifter and Will O' had taken out she called out, “Vovnvmgzo Zrwv Vzigs!”

At her feet a twelve inch tall earth and clay figure shaped like a stereo-typical lumberjack appeared and looked up at the mage who summoned him and spoke, “What is your wish mistress?”

Glamur pointed towards the doll size fighter and sneered, “Take her down.”

She then turned her attention back to the robber who called himself Wiz, she started to walk closer to him but still just out of his reach and spoke, “To you've got a force field, well it's not completely impervious or you couldn't eat, breathe, or even see. So let's see what I can get in there with you.”

Knowing the spell binding him and his shadow to one spot will end shortly she decided to try a spell that attacks with light, “Yormwrmt Ziildh!” 

Three arrows of pure light streak out from her hands and slam into the gang banger causing him the first pain he has felt since his powers had developed at the end of the summer. The shock of it all caused him to pass out. 

Meanwhile 

The little earthen lumberjack had ran over and tackled the toy sized member of the gang. The girl called Barbi called out as she saw it happen, “Dahl!”

As soon as they hit the ground she had her feet between them and pushed him off with a strength that someone of her size should not possess. The elemental hit the ceiling with a loud crack, but as soon as he hit he began falling back directly at the figure he was order to defeat. Landing on her with all the weight of the earth that called him to rejoin it. The strike should have knock her out, but she was tougher than the elemental gave her credit. As she got back up she kicked one of it's legs out from under him causing it to bend over she where she then hit him with both fists across his back. 

“Not much of a talker there are you, dirt for brains?”, Dahl said as she went went to kick it only to have it catch her foot and jerk it back causing her to fly backwards.

The elemental grabbed for her feet again and started swinging her back and forth into the wall until she stopped fighting. Now that his job was done he collapsed back into a pile of dirt. 

Elsewhere

 _“So blondy, you thought you could get into my man's head. Sorry but he's a one woman man,”_ Will O' said as she picked up the gang member called Barbi.

As she hefted her up the pens from the with draw form counter all lifted up and flew into Will O's back. Will O' called out, “Argh.” and released Barbi.

No sooner had Barbi landed on her feet than she dropped and tried to sweep Will O's legs out from under her only to have her leg pass through her as the pens fell to the floor. 

_“You shouldn't have tried that girlie,”_ Will O' said as she brought the flat end of her ax across the jaw of the gang banger and dropped her like a sack of potatoes.

In the meantime

After seeing Will O' take the girl he was fight and some little lumberjack looking thing fighting the doll like teen, Shifter went over to the guy he had thrown the blond chick into. He was just getting up as Shifter got to him. The gang member swung his hand less arm at Shifter as he got close. Shifter dodged back and as soon as he did Toast-T fired a fireball towards him. Sifting into a gnome as the fireball flew over him, once it was past he jumped up into a non pixelated Rumble McSkirmish and delivered a devastating uppercut.

As Toast-T lands Shifter turns towards Will O' and Glamur and strikes a familiar thumbs up pose and said, “Winners never lose!”

Both girls start cracking up.

Finally 

'Like, he should run out of sand sometime soon,' Charger thought as she tried to get a good look at her opponent so she could at least try to get some offense in. But every time he moved his hand away from her face he would've moved before she could get a bead on him.

“The thing about sand is it always gets every where, by now most of your joints should be so full you're not gonna be able to move let alone be able to fight back.” Duster said as he stopped shooting the sand and hauled off and threw a punch that actually rocked her.

Charger tried raise her left arm but as he said her joints were almost completely frozen, _“Don't think a little thing like that is gonna stop me.”_

Staying on her left side so he could stay away from the apparent shrink ray she had in her right palm, Duster again connected with another punch. But his time she was ready for it, as soon as he connected she turned her anti-gravity system on it's lowest setting and allowed herself fall backwards. Once she had fallen enough she fired off her Tesla beam and shocked him back into the wall knocking him out.

 _“Well this is embarrassing,”_ Charger said as she just floated in the middle of the tellers area. 

In a few moments Shifter had basically tied them up with the banks velvet rope. Glamur intoned, “Wlav!” and a peaceful sleep fell over the beaten bank robbers. 

_“Glamur, you take you three back to the shack. I'll be there shortly. I need to let the officers know its safe to come in and that they need to be careful with these guys due to their abilities.”,_ Will O' said as she faded out of sight. 

“Tzgv Lu Gizevo!”, Glamur said. A warm golden glow enveloped the three remaining Gravity Heroes and then they were gone.

**Outside**

Blubs was watching the door waiting to see if anyone else was going to come out of the bank when he heard behind him, _“They're all taken down. There are five of them in total. Do not think the little one is a toy and be careful of any guys around the blond. She appears to be able to possibly control a man's mind. They are all powered so you may want to see if the state guys have any place they could keep them. They should all be asleep for a couple of hours though.”_

“Geez, girlie. You don't need to be sneaking up on people, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”, Blubs said as he turned around towards the voice only for no one to be seen. He turned back around and told his deputies it was safe to go on into the bank.

In the crowd on onlookers, James had just stood back and watched. First the ghost had first brought out a hostage and then later came out to say something to the portly Sheriff only to disappear before he had turned back around. 'That Sheriff doesn't know the forces he is dealing with, Ghosts are never to be trusted,' he thought as he rubbed near the scar on his left shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 37 is through. I hope everybody is having fun on this roller-coaster of a story. We find out a little bit about Francis and Candy's date. Four of the Gravity Heroes have faced off with the Purple Haze gang (all but Duster were originally villains for an RPG I ran a few years ago that I decided to brush off and use here). Blubs and Durland have now met a second member of the GH (they met Charger in the second chapter of Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks). We've found out a reason Ford may seemed a jumbled every once in awhile. The funeral arrangements have been made for Elaine. Mabel is using more spells (currently have more than sixty spells for her and more come every time I have any extra time between chapters). And James makes an appearance. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Four follows Thompson and Alexa on a lunch date that happens while the GH team are down in Piedmont. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. They're back, I can now see the reviews on the site again so please feel free to review.
> 
> 20-8-5 20-21-15-11-5-25 4-1-25 19-8-1-12-12 3-15-13-5 1-19 1 3-5-12-5-2-18-1-20-9-15-14 15-6 6-1-13-9-12-25 21-14-9-20-25.


	38. Chapter 38

** Chapter 38 **

**Mystery Shack  
Living room**

Nate and Lee were sitting on the couch, while Tambry was on the floor in front of them with the laptop on the coffee table. The screen was split with the bank's security feed running on one side while Tambry was running a facial recognition program on the other half. So far she had identified the two brothers as members of a small-time gang out of Portland that had suddenly started making major power plays near the beginning of September. Following a hunch she was running the rest of the group through files from that gang to see if they were members also.

“Man, where did that little doll come from? She nearly took Funtimes head off,” Nate said as he petted the cat that had hopped in his lap while he watched the feed. 

“Wait, what's Mabs doing? She just made a little man out of the air,” Lee commented. Then seeing the figure tackle the little doll woman he said, “Ooh, that's gotta hurt.”

“Uh oh, Wendy's got a hold of the blond who was checking out Dipper. I feel sorry for her,” Tambry said as the movement had caught her attention, “What the hell, those pens just flew into her back. Ouch. Ok, Wendy, I think I would've used the other side of the ax after that.”

“What's going on in here?”, Tony asked as he walked into the living room. 

“We're watching video from the bank robbery,” Lee said, “Pop a squat, it's almost better than LVPD.”

“Did Dipper just turn into Rumble McSkirmish? He's doing the victory pose. Man, I'm related to that dork.”, Tony said the last bit as face palmed. 

**Twins's Room**

Inside the room there is a golden glow that dies out as Glamur, Shifter, and Charger appear in the room. 

“Xolgsrmt'h Mlinzoxb!”, Glamur intoned before her costume dissolved into her sweater and skirt from before. Dipper shifted back to normal.

_“Guys, I can use some help here.”,_ Pacifica said still stuck inside the Charger armor. She had hit he release button but the suit was having trouble opening. 

Dipper shifted to a taller size and was able to slowly open up the armor. After he had gotten her free, Mabel hugged Pacifica. 

“We need to see what's going on and check the news to see what's still going on down out there,” Dipper said as he headed out of the door. 

“We'll be there in a moment bro,” Mabel said as she continued to hold Pacifica, “You ok?”

“Yeah, it just got a little cramped in there for a moment.”, Pacifica said, “Gonna need to tell Fiddleford to put an emergency release or something in case it ever freezes up like that again. As it is the suit's gonna need, like, a compressor or something ran over the joints to get all of the sand out of it.”

“So we now know to not take the Charger suit with us to the beach when we go,” Mabel said with a smirk. 

“Yep, no building sandcastles with it.”, Pacifica joked back. She then hit the button on the key fob sending it back to it's charging unit 

**Kitchen**

Dipper walks in to see Grenda chowing down on a ham sandwich, while Francis and Candy seem to be sneaking glances at each other when it seems like no one is looking. They both have sandwiches in front of them with only a couple of bites taken from them. Melody was at the stove cooking up a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches probably for her and Soos. He didn't see Tony or Ford. 'They're probably down in the bunker or Ford's lab,' he thought.

As he went to see what was in the fridge he received a text from his dad, 'On way back, shouldn't be too late. gonna want a family talk once there.'. Not really seeing anything that caught his eye he just grabbed an apple for the fruit basket on the counter. 

“Dipper, I thought of something earlier that I wanted to see if you know the answer.”, Melody said to him as she was picking up the plate of sandwiches to take in to Soos's office so they could eat, before she left she asked, “With everything that's happened are we still having the Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?”

“I'm really not sure, when Grunkle Stan and dad get back this evening we'll have to get everybody together and figure it out. I know we have the turkey defrosted and all, but we'll have to see.”, Dipper said realizing that he really had forgotten all about the holiday that was the whole reason his family was even in Gravity Falls right now. 

He went over to the table and sat down to eat his apple. He was deep in thought when a pair of hands covered his eyes, “Guess Who.”

“Tambry? No, Pacifica? No, No, wait. It's Waddles.” Dipper said with a smirk 

One of the hands removed itself from his eyes and lightly slapped the back of his head. 

“Dork,” Wendy said with a smile as she sat down next to him.

“Blubs give you any trouble?”, Dipper asked.

“As if man. He nearly had a heart-attack when I popped up behind him. I told him the gang was all tied up and that they had powers of some sort. I suggested that he check with the state officers to see if they had any way to hold 'special' prisoner,” Wendy replied. 

Suddenly from the direction of the living room they hear, “HE DID WHAT!”, followed by the slamming of a door.

They rush towards the front in time to see Tambry, Nate and Lee heading for the gift shop door. By the time Wendy and Dipper met them all they could see was Tony running down the Shack's drive heading for town.

“Man, I didn't know he was that fast.”, Lee said as Tony ran out of sight.

“What happened?”, Dipper asked. 

“Well after we watched the bank video, Tony asked why we were here instead of at my set up.”, Tambry replied, “I wasn't thinking and told him about what happened earlier with Robbie. The next thing I know he's yelling and running out of the Shack.”

“This isn't good,” Francis said as he, Candy, and Grenda joined the group, “Dipper, Tony's always had your dislike for Robbie and he also blames him for us having to live like we did for so long. He was tolerating him because he seemed to have been turning over a new leaf. This added to the loss of your mother may have just set him off.”

“Why?”, Tambry asked looking back a Francis.

“Well, as you all know while we were on our own we were our only family. Since we've been back you all have become our family.” Francis said as he looked out the window towards the path his brother took, “and every one here knows what Dipper would do for family, Tony has an even shorter fuse when it comes to defending family.”

**In the Bunker**

Fiddleford and Testosteraur were working on installing the wiring in the room Tony was in earlier, mostly Testosteraur was holding up Fiddleford while he was fastening the wires to the ceiling in order to run proper lights, Since this room was going become the communications room they were also having to run several wireless relays and various other electronics along the room. 

“So friend McGucket, we have not really talked before other than about the cave we are building. I must ask you, why are you helping Destructor and his family?” Testosteraur asked trying to make a conversation.

“Why, I reckon I be helpin them cause I seen how those young uns worked without there powers. Now that I know they'll be helpin people, I wanna be a part of it any ways I can.”, Fiddleford said as he soldered in a brace point, “What about you big guy?”

“Ah, that is a good reason.,” Testosteraur said, “As for my reasons, well I used to be too prideful. It was this pride that led me to accept the challenge of a man who I thought was beneath my notice. After he defeated me, he place me in a cursed labyrinth. It was Destructor and his mate that not only defeated me, but they saved me from the labyrinth as well. I not only owe them my life, freedom, and my honor. They have taught me the gift of humility.”

“So are ya doin this outta honor or outta friendship?,” McGucket asked. 

“Both I suppose,” Testosteraur replied, “Though the latter is still being earned.”

“Well then, that's good enough for me.”, McGucket said with smile.

**Mystery Shack  
Ford's laboratory**

Ford was working on the Clondike twins DNA analysis to make sure there was nothing wrong with his two 'grandsons'. Surprisingly he was actually growing fond of the two boys. They actually remind him a little bit like Stan and him at that age. While there is no doubt that they are both highly intelligent, he really sees Stan's temper in Tony and Francis has his own curiosity. While the DNA is running he decided to work on building a variation of the Portable Motel Room, it would be perfect to use for making the sleeping rooms down in the Bunker. It would be a singular expansion only model, once it expands it'll be permanent. 

**Gravity Falls Mall**

Mabel and Pacifica some how drew the hardest place to look, partially due to the size but mostly due to the temptation to shop while they were here. After getting dropped off by Pacifica's chauffeur, they started out looking at 'Edgy on Purpose' before moving on to Beeblyboop's Videogames. When they struck out at those two, they decided to next hit the food court and began moving from store to store after that.

“Like, this is pointless. We've hit nearly every store in this place. The only places left are Thursday Evening, Pastime Foyer, Shoe Palace, and Young Army. And I really don't see Robbie shopping at any of those places.” Pacifica said in frustration.

“I know,” Mabel said calmly squeezing her hand, “but we have to clear the whole place, remember he had a girl with him. Who knows where she would drag him. Plus we're trying to find Tony also, remember.” 

They finally went ahead and checked the last four shops. When they got to Young Army they found out the cashier was one of Robbie's classmates, she told them that they were about an hour late. He and some raven haired young lady, who to her shock wasn't Tambry, had been in and bought a pile of clothes she would've never thought he'd wear. 

“Man, if we had came here first we may have caught him.”, Mabel said as they were leaving the shop.

“I'm parched, you want to get a soda or something?”, Pacifica said blushing. She had just realized this was the first time the two of them had been out since they started being more than friends. 

“Sure, we can take a moment.” Mabel replied seeing her blush. 

**Valentino residence**

Nate, Francis, and Candy arrive at Robbie's hoping to find Tony before he causes any type of damage. It was decided that Nate would do most of the talking since he knew Robbie's family.

“Come on, come on.”, Nate said to himself after he rung the doorbell a second time. 

Just as he was about to ring the bell a third time the door opened. Robbie's mom was standing there and said, “Why Nate, how are you doing today?”

“Good, good. Have you seen Robbie lately?”, Nate asked, “We heard about him and Tambry breaking up so we were coming to check on him.”

“Really I didn't know they had split, but then again he did say he had a new friend.”, Mrs Valentino said, “Now that I think about it he also said that he was done you guys, but I was just chalking it up to one of his moods.”

“As far as I know we're still cool, though we may take a break from each other till the whole Tambry deal blows over.”, Nate said as Francis and Candy head back to the Mystery Cart they had borrowed, “Well thanks Mrs. Valentino. Talk to you later.”

As Nate rushed to the cart they all were thinking one thing, 'I hope the others find him.'

**Arcade**

Lee and Grenda arrive at the arcade and start looking around for either Tony or Robbie. They had searched the whole arcade before they asked the employees if they had seen either guy. When they were told no they headed off to their next destination, the Laser Tag shop.

After they struck out again, Lee called Thompson at the theater to see if either of them were there. Thompson said he'd keep an eye out, but neither Robbie or Tony had been there. Then they waited to hear from the rest of the group before they headed elsewhere

**Greasy's Diner**

Dipper, Wendy, and Tambry went by a second Mystery Cart to look at the last place the Robbie had been seen by the group. They didn't expect to find him there, but it was a place to start. Plus Tambry remembered that she and the guys forgot to pay their bill earlier, so she wanted to rectify that mistake.

“Sorry we forgot to pay, Susan.”, Tambry said as she took care of the bill from earlier.

“It's ok. I saw what happened,” Lazy Susan said as she tried to hand Tambry her change, only for Tambry to push it back to her as the tip. “I nearly added it to Robbie's bill, but they only got pie.” 

Tambry smiled at the waitresses near revenge on her behalf, “Thanks.”

“Hey, us girls have to stick together.”, Lazy Susan said as she lifted up her bad eyelid and said, “Wink.”

“One of my cousins is out looking for Robbie, any one have an idea where he went?”, Dipper said to the diner patrons in general. 

“Well, I heard the two of them say something about the mall and then the museum.”, the other waitress said as she walked over from behind the counter, “if you find your cousin tell him to punch him once for me, the little jerk didn't even leave a tip.”

“Thanks, we'll check there next.” Dipper said with a wink to the waitress. 

“Have a good Thanksgiving everybody,” Wendy said as the group left the diner. 

As they got to the Mystery Cart, Tambry pulled out her phone. Before she started to type out a text to everybody that they were heading to the museum, a spark flew from her palm into the device. The next thing she knew a sprite of a medieval squire, that she didn't remember being in her data icons, popped up with the word balloon saying 'Message sent mi'lady'. 

“Ok, that was weird.”, she said to herself

“Museum ho,” Wendy said as they pulled into the parking lot, “and there's Robbie's van.”

Once they parked they all hopped off and started searching the museum as fast as they could. Once inside they figured it would be quicker if they split up and searched. Dipper took the art wing, Wendy went with the local history wing, and Tambry covered the natural history wing. As Tambry was half way through her area she received a text with the same icon as earlier that had a video attachment. As she looked at it she saw it was a video feed of the back parking lot and it showed Tony lifting Robbie off of his feet. Looking at the time stamp she saw this was happening now. She rushed out the side exit door and headed to the back, vaguely she heard the message sent sound from her phone. 

As she rounded the corner of the building she saw Tony as he punched Robbie in the gut and the threw him down. As he drew back to punch him again she ran over and grabbed his arm and said, “Don't Tony, he's not worth it.” 

At this time Wendy, Dipper, and the girl Robbie had introduced earlier as Blair came around the corner of the building with Blair yelling, “Robbie!”

She ran over to where Robbie was laying on the ground and tried to pull him away from where Tony had threw him. 

Meanwhile Tambry was trying to talk Tony out of doing any more damage, “Look, I don't think he's gonna try to do anything else.”

Dipper started to head over to help when Wendy held on to his shoulder, when he looked up at her she pointed back at Tambry and whispered “I think she's got this man.”

Tambry then put both hands on Tony's face and made sure he was looking at her. “I'm glad you're willing to do all this for your 'Family', but sometimes we need to just hurt for a bit. Fight our own battles. I mean do you really want to go to jail because some,” Tambry had been looking at him until this part where she looked at Robbie for a moment, “jerk decides to be a jerk. You really wouldn't want to be in jail or something during Thanksgiving do you?”

“No,” was all Tony said as a reply.

“Alright, let's just leave him here to think about what he did and just head back to the Shack.”, Tambry said as she turned him back towards the parking lot and their amassed group of friends. The only ones who hadn't made it were Mabel & Pacifica because they had to wait for the chauffeur to arrive. They had texted that they would just meet everybody back at the Shack.

Robbie was still on the ground holding his stomach while being comforted by Blair. 

As he was getting ready to leave with the group Tony turned back to Robbie and said, “Just remember Robbie, if you ever hurt someone in my family again, I don't know if anyone will be able to stop me.”

Dipper stopped to help Tambry guide Tony out towards the vehicles. As he did so he said, “Come on cuz, let's get out of here.”

Robbie looked up as he heard Dipper's voice, “I should have known he was related to you, Pines. He's just another freak.”  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 38 is in the book. We've had another bit of bonding here as the gang watched the bank videos. Some of the post robbery take-down cool-down. Tony's temper comes into play. We learn the motivation behind Fiddleford and Testosteraur helping out the team. Ford makes some more design plans for the Bunker (One of theses days I need to sit down and actually use my old DM Dungeon designing skill to map the base. The gang splits into groups to try and stop Tony from hurting Robbie. And it seems that Robbie has forgotten the origins of the Clondike twins. (he was there when they were unpetrified and had seen them since they changed their appearances. Sorry if the chapter seems off in any way I've been distracted while finishing up the chapter, I ended up burning my wrist cooking today and it's right where the wrist meets my keyboard, so it's been sore writing today. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich   
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen  
> ???/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Four follows Thompson and Alexa on a lunch date that happens while the GH team are down in Piedmont. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. They're back, I can now see the reviews on the site again so please feel free to review.
> 
> 1 12-9-6-5 1-19 12-15-14-7 1-19 20-8-5 14-5-5-4-12-5 19-20-1-25-19 19-15-12-9-4


	39. Chapter 39

** Chapter 39 **

**Portland, Oregon**

After leaving the terminal, Stan and Adam Pines were walking through the parking lot heading to the Stanmobile.

“So kid, how ya holding up?”, Stan said as they got to the El Diablo.

“I don't know Uncle Stan,” Adam said as he went to open the passenger door, “I guess I'm still somewhat numb. I mean in the last four days I've found out that my formerly shy introverted son is dating a fifteen year old girl, that magic is real, that I was pulling a sleeping beauty for a couple of days, that my son is a shape shifter and my daughter is a witch, that their friends are super heroes, that my daughter is dating an heiress, and had my wife die in a suspicious manner. Really I have no idea exactly how to feel. I know I should be worried for the kids and I should should be upset for Elaine, but right now the grief has me numb.”

“Well kiddo, I'd be worried if you weren't at least confused if not outright upset. If anything you need to grieve as much as anybody I know, but you need to be there for the kids cause I know they'll be there for you.”, Stan said after getting in and starting up the car, “Those kids have stared into the abyss and came out stronger because of it.” 

“You mean figuratively right?”, Adam said looking over at Stan, “Right?”

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack **

Coming down the driveway was a caravan of a truck and two golf carts. In the truck was Lee, Tambry and Tony. The first cart held Wendy, Dipper, and Grenda. And in the final cart was Nate, Candy, and Francis. 

“Ok, I can understand you getting mad. But seriously dude rushing out like that, it's not cool man. You had all of us worried that you were gonna kill him,” Lee was saying as they pulled into the parking lot. 

“I know, it was a stupid thing to do,” Tony replied feeling drained as the adrenaline rush he had been running on wore off. He sat there with his head hanging down.

“Hey, don't go beating yourself up over it Tony.”, Tambry said looking down at her phone trying to figure out the where the squire icon had came from, heck the texts it had sent weren't even stored in her phone. Without thinking she added, “I thought it was kind of sweet.” 

“Thanks,” Tony said looking over at her.

Realizing what she had just said out loud she added, “Not that I'd want you to ever do it again.” 

“Okay,” Tony replied with a small smile.

“Alright you two, we're here.”, Lee said with a smirk. 

Meanwhile

“Well that was fun,” Dipper said.

“Man, I never knew you had so much anger in you Dipper.”, Grenda said looking over the shoulders of the two in the front seat.

“He doesn't,” Wendy said not taking her eyes off the road but holding his hand tightly.

“But Tony is a clone of Dipper, so wouldn't...”, Grenda started.

“Not necessarily, he may have been at the beginning but since he and Francis went out on their own they grew to be their own people. It's almost as if Tony has most of the anger that should have been split between the two of them while Francis seems to have more of my old shyness,” Dipper explained.

“Not from what I've heard,” Grenda said with a sly wink. 

“What do you mean by that?”, Wendy asked interested in the gossip she was about to hear.

Grenda looked around as if she was worried someone would be able to hear her, then she loudly whispered “Well from what I've heard, not only did he ask Candy to go to the museum but he's also kissed her already.”

“He's what?”, Dipper said incredulously.

“Ok. So he's moved faster you did, but so what?”, Wendy said with a smirk as she saw Dipper blush out of the corner of her eye. She pulled the cart to the side of the building and parked it. 

Finally

“Ok, that was fun. Remind me to tell your brother to not do that again,” Nate said as he looked back at Candy and Francis on the back of the cart. 

“Sure, sure. I mean I knew he had a temper, but this was the worst I've ever seen him lose it.”, Francis said actually sounding a little scared of his brother.

“He is your brother and he still loves you,” Candy said as she squeezed his hand, “You are not at fault for his anger.”

“I know, but part of me worries that the anger in him is in me also.”, Francis said still with a worried look on his face.

Nate replied as he parked the cart, “I dunno man, so far you seem a lot more chill than your brother.”

“Thanks,” Francis replied as he and Candy got off the back of the cart and headed over to meet up with the rest of the group. 

“We all need to talk,” Dipper said to the group before he headed around to the back of the Shack towards the entrance to the Bunker. 

**Northwest Limo**

Once the girls got situated in the back if the limo, Pacifica told the driver to head to the Shack and then to raise the divider. 

“Hrovmv Lu Gsv Uvd!”, Mabel intoned under her breath and then nodded to Pacifica.

“That was pretty intense,” Pacifica said once she was sure that the back of the limo was secure, “How well do you trust that guy?” *

“As scared as he was of getting caught,” Mabel said looking Pacifica in the eyes, “I believe him. Now the thing is, do we tell the others or should we try to handle this our selves. I don't like the idea of lying to Dipper, but he may not believe it. If he does, it will worry him to no end. I really don't know what to do.”

“Mabel if he really is to be the first to die, I think he should know the risk.”, Pacifica said holding onto Mabel's hand, “I think they all should know the about it. Who knows, one of them may know who we will need to befriend.”

'You're right, I guess I'm just scared.”, Mabel replied

“I'd be worried if you weren't,” Pacifica said hugging Mabel close, “you've been through a lot recently.” 

As they were separating from the hug Mabel's phone went off, looking down she read the text. 'At the new spot, meet us there. D'

She thought for a moment and replied, 'In the limo, once dropped off we'll meet you there. M&P'

**In the Bunker 15 minutes later**

As Mabel and Pacifica arrived from the hallway that led from the entrance by the bottomless pit, Dipper and the rest were in the main hall. They all seemed to be split up into different groupings. Tony, Francis, Candy, Tambry, and Grenda were all talking amongst themselves, while Dipper and Wendy had been showing Nate and Lee some of the various accoutrements of the Bunker. 

“Well it looks like we're all here. What's the dealio, bro-bro?”, Mabel asked as she joined the group. 

Dipper looked at all of the gathered friends and singled the other group to come on over. He noticed that Francis and Candy were holding hands as they walked up. 'Good for them.'

“Alright Dr. Funtimes, we're all here what's up.”, Nate said as everyone walked up.

“First off, I want to say thank you to everyone for helping find Tony.”, Dipper said to everyone. Everyone pretty much said no problem, so he continued, “Alright now on to business. I hate to say it, but everyone here is in potential danger. I know most of us have faced it before with Weirdmageddon and what not, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew.” 

“Are you sure?”, Lee asked. 

“Unfortunately I'm pretty certain. Most of you know what happened down in Piedmont. Two of our friends,” Dipper motioned to include himself and Mabel, “were beat up and when we went to confront there attackers they not only were they my former tormentors but they were powered themselves. Plus they knew who some of us were, so it isn't that far of a leap to figure out that they may know who you all are. And Mabel and I are really questioning our mother's death. Mom didn't know about dad's sleeping problem, so she had no reason to bring the her doctor friend up here for a family emergency.”

Dipper turned to looked around at the work that had already been done to the Bunker before turning back around to continue speaking. “As every one here knows, Mabel and I have been taken self defense classes with our godfather. I'm thinking of asking him to continue training us further than just self defense and I'm willing to bet after what all has happened recently he would be willing to train any of you if you want.”

“You know I'm still in man,” Wendy replied taking Dipper's hand, “No one is gonna hurt any of my friends if I can help it.”

“I am willing to learn,” Candy said surprising everybody.

“We're not going anywhere,” Francis replied for his brother and himself.

Grenda piped up, “A chance to learn from a wrestling master, ooh yeah.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Pacifica said as she hugged Mabel. 

“I'll still be covering your cyber-trail, we'll have to see on the fighting.”, Tambry added as she looked at her phone. 

“Well if it's as bad as you say, I'll be around but I'm not sure on training yet.”, Lee said looking at this group he calls his friends.

“You know, I think I'm in.”, Nate said and then added, “This is really making me wonder about something though.”

“What's that?”, Dipper asked.

“Well I've already told Tambry and Lee. When I went in for my blood test after recovering from the basilisk attack there was a Dr. Nuit, who took a blood sample from me.”, Nate explained, “The problem is not that long after he left the room, the nurse who was supposed to take my blood sample came in to take it and when asked about Dr. Nuit she said there was no doctor by that name at the hospital. We've been looking for the him since then and no luck.”

“Interesting,” Francis said as he walked over to Nate, “And this was before you were able to wake up Mabel and Dipper's dad?”

“Wait, you woke him up?”, Mabel asked as she looked over at Nate thankfully.

“Well I guess I did. I went to move him to keep him from getting bed sores, when I touched him there was weird feeling and a glow covered him. Once the weird feeling went away the glow stopped and he woke up,” Nate explained, “Thompson later told me it was like I was some type of vaccine.”

“Hmm, we may want to have you talk to Grunkle Ford. You may have developed some powers due to some type of reaction to the basilisk nerve-toxin,” Dipper said as he scratched the back of his head. 

“Whoa, really?”, Lee said, “Cool dude.”

“Well, I guess one more person checking me out isn't that big of a deal.”, Nate said with a shrug. 

“Well we also have another problem,” Mabel with a dour look, “Paz and I ran into Blendin Blandin earlier and he said something about time ripples or something like that. There was something about a fixed divergent point and a prophesy, 'When the morning, noon, and night seek to join the fight, an enemy must become an ally or the balance of all will fall from sight'. If the balance thing-a-mabob is messed up all our friends and family are destined to die, starting with you Dip.”

“Oh great, another prophesy. And I'm in the middle of it,” Dipper said as he face palmed, “Are you sure it was Blendin?”

“Yep, no yellow eyes.”, Mabel replied as she pulled her eye lids back. 

“Great. So something else added to everything,” Tony remarked as he started pacing. 

“We'll just have to tackle them as we come to them,” Dipper said, “I think we first need to worry about these two knights and their Mistress. Tomorrow I think a group of us should go into the forest and see if anybody has any news about them. We know the White Knight or Horseman or what ever has been through the woods before, maybe some of our friends out there knows something.”

“Uhm, Dipper.”, Tambry interrupted.

“Yeah?”, Dipper replied.

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Most of us have family plans,” She answered sheepishly.

“Shoot, I forgot all about that again. Yeah, go spend time with your families. After everything that's happen recently, I know they're the most important thing for any of us.” Dipper said leaning back against the wall. “Well then we'll just have to do it Friday. I'm not even sure if we're still having ours after mom, uhmm, yeah. Maybe Mabel and I can do some searching if we don't.”

“You guys need the break too, man,” Wendy said hugging him, “Remember what I told you yesterday.”

“I know, but there's so much we need to find out still. We're only here through the weekend,” Dipper reminded everyone. 

“Oh, man that's right.”, Grenda said, “I totally forgot about that.”

“Yeah, well that's all I really had to discuss. If no one else can think of anything, I'm gonna go let McGucket know he doesn't need to do any work tomorrow and remind him he should spend the day with Tate.”, Dipper said sadly as he turned and headed down the tunnel away from the Shack exit, “Tony and Francis can show everybody the way out.”

**Mystery Shack**

Soos and Melody are in the kitchen working on dinner while waiting on everybody to come back. They had gotten the text about finding Robbie and one from Dipper saying he needed to talk to everybody before heading back to the Shack. 

“So where is everybody?”, Wildbill said as he walked into the Shack after waking up from his nap.

“Well Stan and young Mr Pines are on their way back from Portland, Dipper and the gang are having a pow wow somewhere, I think Ford is in the basement, we're here, and you're there.” Soos said as he looked over at the twins godfather. He had marked out at first upon realizing who he was, but has finally come to accept him as just a family member of the Pines. 

Wildbill chuckled a little bit at Soos's response. “Ok. Yeah, I'm here.” he readjusted the holster on his hip when he sat down. 

“Do you really need to have that on in here, dood?”, Soos asked looking at the holstered revolver.

“Sorry, I guess I'm in overprotective mode after everything.”, Wildbill said, “I promised Adam nothing would happen to the kids while he was gone, but if you want I'll take it back to the room.”

“Yeah, you shouldn't need it here dawg.”, Soos said as he started walking over and setting the table, “I mean really the worse that's happened in Gravity Falls recently has been the bank robbery the kids foiled while you were asleep.” 

“They what?”, Wildbill said looking shocked.

“Oh, yeah. They swooped in and beat the snot out off five bank robbers, well actually it was Dipper, Wendy, Mabel, and Pacifica. The other twins were down working on the Bunker at the time.”, Melody said as she joined in on the conversation.

“Man, I take a little nap and all the fun stuff happens.”, Wildbill joked. 

At this the back door opens and Mabel, Pacifica, Francis, and Tony walked in. Francis and Tony headed on to their room. 

“Hey Unka Cowboy, you sleep good?”, Mabel asked as she walked over and gave him a hug. 

“Yeah kiddo, heard you two had some fun earlier?”, He said to Mabel & Pacifica.

“What, do you mean? We just went to the mall, nothing happened there.”, Mabel said blushing.

Chuckling he said, “No, no. I meant the bank robbery.”

“Oh, yeah.”, Mabel replied while going red in the face, “Nothing much really. Just a bunch of out of town gang bangers that thought a small town bank would be easy to rob.”

“They hadn't planned on running into a group of superheroes, huh?”, Wildbill joked.

“Oh, like, they had powers too.”, Pacifica said sitting down at the table. 

“What?”, Wildbill asked incredulously.

“Oh yeah. There were three guys and two gals,” Mabel said. She started counting them off as she said, “One of the guys had a force-field, one shot fireballs out of his good hand, one shot sand out of his hand, one of the girls apparently could influence men and possibly was telekinetic, and the other girl was only about a foot tall but strong.” 

“They weren't that bad except the sand guy hit me so much the joints on my armor tried to freeze up,” Pacifica said frowning, “Shoot I forgot to remind Dipper to let McGucket know about that. Eh, I'll tell him later. I'm sleeping there again tonight.”

“You're not going home for Thanksgiving?”, Wildbill asked looking over at Pacifica.

“No, my parents don't celebrate it. They think it's a holiday for the masses and not the elite,” Pacifica replied, “They're heading out tomorrow for Aspen to go to some social gala down there over the weekend. I'm staying here cause I was invited to have Thanksgiving dinner with the Mystery Shack family, if it's still going on. And even if it's not I'm still gonna be here for Dipper and Mabel if they need me.” 

“Thank you,” Mabel said as she hugged her friend and gave her a peck on her check causing Pacifica to blush.

“Good for you,” Wildbill said, “I'm glad the twins have been able to help you the way they did.”

“Thanks. I'm glad they were, too.”, Pacifica said holding Mabel's hand. 

**Tambry's house**

Lee's truck was pulling up to let Tambry out.

“You gonna be ok, Tambers?”, Lee asked as Nate scooted over to the passenger seat.

“Yeah, I just need to unwind some, still not over the whole Robbie deal. Maybe vent some on my blog,” Tambry said before heading, “I'll see you guys Friday, more than likely.”

“Alright, take care.”, Nate said rolling up his window from the chilled air.

Once they saw her go in side Lee pulled off and headed home. 

Now that she was inside Tambry went up to her bedroom and pulled out her laptop. It's not as powerful as her set-up in the basement but for her blog, she really doesn't need too much. Once she logged and connected to her wifi, she went straight to her blog, 'Woes Of A Small Town Teen'.

'Streak of Purple here folks. I hope everyone is doing good. Had some heartbreak come my way. The BF finally broke up with me today and apparently as far as he was concerned it had actually happened Monday, but he didn't feel the need to tell me till today when I saw him with some preppy raven haired skank. And apparently he's even changing his appearance to please her or something. When I saw him today he didn't even have on this hoodie he's been wearing since middle school. I'm not sure I've ever seen him without it. He was dressed in just a regular pair of jeans and a plain white tee. As far as I knew he didn't even own any non-skinny jeans and white was never in his wardrobe.  
It was weird, he had the nerve to call me gutter trash yet he was the one who was cheating on me. And then his skank had the nerve to say that I was apparently not woman enough to keep him. I lost it and slapped here like she owed me money.  
He also mouthed off to one of our mutual friends and these two have been tight since the Ex first moved to town. Ended up heading to see my BFF at her BF's house (his mom is the one who died Monday, so she's been there giving him emotional support). Ended up helping them some to get my mind off things. While watching some vids, his cousin found out what happened and stormed off the give the Ex a piece of his mind (and a few good punches too). He rushed off before we could stop him, so we all went out looking for him.  
When we found him he had the ex against the wall and had hit him twice before we could stop him. It was weird, I've never had a guy fight someone because he hurt me before. I, well, actually thought it was sweet. It was like he was defending my honor. Too bad the guy is too young.  
Also had a weird new sprite on my phone's messenger app, it looked like some sort of medieval squire and called me mi'lady whenever it sent anything.'

As she was typing a light blue spark came from her hand and entered into her keyboard. By the time she had typed the last line she noticed an image starting to form in the bottom left corner of he screen. As she looked at it she realized it wasn't forming, it actually appeared to be walking as if it was at a distance and was coming closer to her. It didn't seem to be affecting her blog screen but did seemed to be superimposed over it. Once it got to be about an inch or so in size she realized it was the same squire sprite from her phone. When it was about three inches a word balloon came from it saying, 'Good eve mi'lady, I trust you are well.'

“Ok, this is weird.” She said under her breath.

A new word balloon appeared, 'Is something amiss, mi'lady? Dost thou need assistance? Shouldst I contact one of your fellows, Master Anthony or the warrior Lady Gwendolyn perhaps?' 

“How are you talking to me?”, She asked out loud again.

'Why mi'lady you didst call for my assistance earlier and as a squire and a knight in training it tis my duty to come to the aide of a lady in distress.' the new word balloon said as the sprite had pulled out a scroll, that though it was small, she could still some how see that it said summons. Than a new balloon popped up, 'As for how mi'lady, nearly every spirit in the digital realm knows of the shaman, Mistress Delphi. I was honored to receive your summons. I shall endeavor to serve you to the utmost of my abilities.' 

“Spirits of the digital realm? Shaman? And how do you know I'm Delphi?”, Tambry continued to just talk to her laptop.

'We doth be the life force behind all of the digital world that you and yours doth call the internet, though there are kin that doth reside in other mechanicals. But they doth usually be too uncivilized to answer the call of a shaman, even one such as yourself.' the next word balloon answered, followed by one that read, 'As for how I doth know thou art the shaman Delphi, well I knowth this because thou doth summon me.'

“Ok, say I believed you. How do I know you aren't just a rogue program or maybe a virus? Fully functional AI's are still years from development,” Tambry questioned.

The next word balloon said, 'Mi'lady thou doth wound me, it twas I who sent thee the video warning that didst allow you to prevent the further assault by thy friend Master Anthony on the vile Robert. As for being a rogue program, I am nothing like the harlot your friends, Sir Dipper and Lady Mabelton encountered nor the barbarian Sir Dipper and the Vile Robert encountered. And please do not associate me with those abominations you type call viruses. They make all spirits of the realm physically ill.' 

“Wait, so you sent the video? How did you know I needed it?”, she asked the sprite.

The balloon read, 'Thou didst ask for a way to find Master Anthony or the Vile Robert. Their image was in your heart as the summons was sent, so I searched the realm for any appearance of them at the time of the summons. Once I doth find it, twas simple to connect to your digital token.'

“Ok, well this has been interesting to say the least. I'm gonna finish up my blog post and getting off line so I can eat and head to bed,” Tambry said as she erased the last line of her blog post, no need letting anyone else know about her new friend yet. She then asked, “How do I reach you if I need you again?” 

As the squire sprite bowed it's word balloon read, 'Well mi'lady, I am in thy service so I shall endeavor to aid thee whenever you doth need me. If I do not answer forthwith enter in my name +@6 and I shall appear. I wish you a good meal and sweet dreams, mi'lady'

“And a good night to you Squire Tab,” Tambry said as she entered her blog post.

**Mystery Shack**

It had been about twenty minutes since Mabel and the others had came in before Dipper and Wendy walked in. He didn't look as down as he had been when he left the group. Once they were inside he walked over and sat down at the far end of the table with Wendy at his side. 

“You ok kiddo?”, Wildbill asked.

“Yeah. It just hit me earlier that it's already almost time for us to head back to Piedmont and I really don't want to leave,” Dipper said with Wendy's hand in his, “and it's gonna be even worse without mom done there.”

“I know what you mean bro-bro.”, Mabel said looking over at Pacifica.

“Well, it sounds like we got back at just the right time.”, Stan said as he came in from the front. 

“What do you mean Grunkle Stan?”, Mabel asked looking up at him while Dipper turned to face him.

“Well it would be better coming from your father,” Stan said as Adam entered the room followed by Tony and Francis.

“Well I actually agree with you guys,” Adam said to the twins, “I'm not sure I could live in the house down there anymore. When I return to work Monday, I'm gonna give my two weeks notice and put the house on the market. The plan is to move up here. I'm gonna leave you two up here and Stan is gonna start the paperwork to get you guys transferred to the middle school up here. I have seen how happy you two are up here, and how you have real friends and family up here. Up here your popular because you're you, not because you beat up some bully and it made it to mytube. And up here is where your mother is going to be buried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well Chapter 39 is in the books. It mostly dealt with the aftermath of the Tony-Robbie issue and Dipper coming to the realization that any of their friends have a chance to be in danger, since the enemies they faced in Piedmont seemed to know at least the twins identities. The gang also now know about Nate's possible powers. Tambry has a conversation with her first techno-spirit, the squire known as Tab. And we finally get Adams decision. Sorry the story was late, my phone bill came due and I'm not gonna be able to pay it till Thursday so I had use my son's phone to post it.
> 
> * See Chapter 5 of Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Five is a story of Mabel & Pacifica running into one of the Pines twins old 'friends' after looking for Robbie and/or Tony at the mall. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. They're back, I can now see the reviews on the site again so please feel free to review.
> 
> 20-8-5 5-14-5-13-25 15-6 13-25 5-14-5-13-25 13-1-25 2-5 13-25 6-18-9-5-14-4.


	40. Chapter 40

** Chapter 40 **

**Mystery Shack**

Inside the kitchen the Shack's family are gathered around the table as the twins father had just delivered the news that the family is moving to Gravity Falls and that the twins will be starting school next week. Dipper and Wendy were sitting there looking at each other ecstatic, while Mabel and Pacifica were hugging each other. 

“If we need to, we can ask Ford handle some teaching until the paperwork is processed.”, Stan said as he hugged first Dipper and then went over to Mabel and hugged her. 

“If you want Adam, I'll head back with you to help you get everything ready for your move.” Wildbill told his old friend.

“Thanks,” Adam replied.

“Well now that is out of the way,” Stan said gruffly, “Let's get to the matter that brought you all up here in the first place. Are we still having Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?”

“I guess so,” Adam said as he looked around at everyone, “I mean if you all still want to have it.”

“Well McGucket has offered to let us have at his place,” Dipper said, “his son is going to his mom's place this year so it was gonna be just him and Testosteraur there tomorrow. He definitely has a table big enough for us all and Pacifica is already gonna be there.”

“Sounds good to me,” Melody replied, “Having to try and cook that large of a meal in this tiny kitchen was gonna be fun anyways.”

“I wonder how well Abuelita will get along with Testosteraur,” Soos said looking deep in thought. 

“That's gonna be fun,” Stan said with a dry chuckle.

“Alright then everybody, someone needs to go get Ford and then let's eat.”, Melody said as she and Soos started to bring the food to the table. 

Later that night

Dipper and Wendy were walking down the path leading towards her house.

“Thanks for walking me home, Dipper.” Wendy said as they walked hand in hand.

“Your welcome, besides what type of boyfriend would I be if I let you walk home alone this late at night.”, Dipper replied. 

“Still the best I've ever had,” Wendy joked back.

“I aim to please, mi'lady.”, Dipper said bowing and removing his hat 

“Dork,” Wendy said pulling him into a hug as they walked.

When they got to her house they gave each other a kiss and Wendy went inside. Dipper started to walk back down the drive way when she rushed back outside and called, “Dipper, my dad wants to talk to you.”

“Oh boy,” Dipper said to himself as he turned around and headed back up to the house. As he approached her he asked, “He's not mad is he? I didn't do anything to upset him?”

“Dude, chill. I think he just wants to give you condolences over your mom,” Wendy said looking at her little beau.

“Oh, okay.” Dipper said wiping the sweat off of is forehead. 

They entered the house and Wendy led him to the living room. Manly Dan was alone in the room sitting on the couch watching a nature program on beavers when they entered. 

Turning off the TV he looked over to Dipper and loudly said, “I'm sorry to hear about your mother. As Wendy may have told you, we lost her mother in an auto accident also. It's never easy, but I'm glad Wendy was there to help give your family some support.”

“Thank you sir, she has been a big help. And thank you for allowing her to stay the last couple of days. Mabel and I really appreciate it.”, Dipper said as he looked at his girlfriend's large, intimidating father.

“You're welcome,” Manly Dan said to Dipper in his loud gruff voice. He then turned to Wendy and said, “Wendy, will you please give Dipper and I a moment to talk to each other alone.”

“Are you sure dad, anything you want to say to him you can say to me also.”, Wendy said looking first at her dad then over to Dipper. When Dipper nodded that it would be ok she relented. “Alright, I'm gonna go get a soda from the kitchen.”

“Alright now son,” Dan started out in his gruff voice til he was certain she was out of range he lowered his voice and spoke in a softer tone, “Ok Dipper, you are the best guy she has ever dated. I want you to promise me that you will not do anything to harm my little girl.”

“Sir, she means the world to me. I give you my word of honor that I'd rather die than hurt one hair on her head,” Dipper said as serious as he's ever been. 

“Good, cause when she's with you she is back to being the carefree girl my wife and I raised. I've missed that side of her ever since she's felt as if she had to take her mother's place and care for everyone in the household.” Dan said looking towards the kitchen where his daughter was at.

“Thank you sir, I wasn't aware of that. I will do everything in my power to make sure she always feels special,” Dipper told Dan as he crossed his heart.

“Glad to hear that. And now on to the other part of the talk,” Dan said his face getting more serious, “she is still my little girl and I don't want you to try and take advantage of her. You both have your whole lives ahead of you, so no hanky panky. Do I make my self clear?”

“Yes sir, I love and respect her too much to do that while we're both this young sir.”, Dipper nervously replied. 

After looking Dipper straight in the eyes and seemingly staring into his soul, Dan finally spoke. “Good, I believe you kiddo.”

Dan got up and intentionally towered over Dipper and said, “Now back to the performance for her sake.”

Dipper stared straight up at the mountain of a man as Dan returned to his loud gruff voice, “Now see here young man, your better treat my daughter with the respect she deserves.”

“Dad!”, Wendy yelled as she rushed back into the living room and stood by Dipper, “Dipper has done nothing but shown me respect for as long as I've known him. He is one of the best things that has happened to me in a long while. So leave him alone.”

“Oh, alright then.”, Manly Dan said and winked at Dipper while Wendy had turned to Dipper to make sure he was ok.

Wendy walked Dipper on outside and gave him another kiss before saying goodbye. 

As Dipper walked back he reflected on the fact he had received Manly Dan's seal of approval. About halfway home he was passed by Soos's truck as he drove Pacifica to McGucket place.

**Corduroy house Thursday November 22, 2012 2:20 AM  
Wendy's room**

After Wendy received the text from Dipper earlier that he had made it back to the Shack ok, Wendy changed into a set of flannel pajamas and headed to bed. She was in the middle of a dream about something with a talking dog on an island resort when she suddenly she awoke. The forest was calling her. Standing up she grabbed the ax from her wrist, transformed, and ghosted to where she was needed.

When she reappeared she was deep in the woods overlooking Gravity Falls Lake. Tied to one of the trees was one of the lumberjacks that work with her father. She didn't see anyone, but this must be a trick. She knows she needs to leave, but she needs to get her dad's coworker free of the area. 

She floated over to him, she swung her ax, and cut him loose. Once he was free she told him, _“Get to town, you will be safe there.”_

“Thank you,” the scared lumberjack said as he rushed towards the path that leads down towards the town. 

“Interesting. Even though your instincts told you this was a trap, you still chose to save him. I knew I chose the right bait for you, there was no way a ghost of a lumberjack could refuse to aid another lumberjack.”, a voice called out from the dark forest. 

_“Who are you and what do you want?”_ Will O' said as she increased the flame from her hair in order to see better. 

“I am someone who knows what you are,” the voice called out again, she turned towards the voice and could vaguely make out a shape as he continued to speak, “I saw you earlier, how you tried to trick the folks of this town into a false sense of safety. But it is a lie, there is no safety whenever a ghost is involved.”

She started floating towards him only for the shape to fade into the shadows.

“All ghosts are evil and must be eliminated from the face of the earth,” the voice said this time from behind her, she spun around to see a figure dressed in all black including a black paintball mask and a black harness that held several ampules of liquid and something silver hanging off of a loop at his waist. The was some type of medallion hanging at his chest. He held something that looked like a police baton in his left hand.

 _“Ok, who are you supposed to be? The Ghost Harasser’s black ops squad or something?”,_ Will O' said with a chuckle.

“No, I'm the person who's going to send you off to the afterlife where you belong.” he said as he pulled one of the ampules free from the harness and threw it at her. 

Not knowing what was in the ampules she dodged and let it hit the tree behind her, she felt a little of the liquid as it splashed back against her. _“Really dude, you're trying to put out my fire with that little bit of water. Really?”_

“Oh, it's not just any water. It's holy water blessed in the Vatican City itself,” he said charging towards her, “and I wasn't trying to put out your fire, it was just to distract you.”

As he closed the distance she brought her ax up to defend herself, only to have something grab her arms and pull them behind her. He swung his tonfa hard aiming at her stomach. At the last minute she went intangible and slid into the ground.

“Don't think you could escape me that easy,” he yelled as she slid up behind him. He spun around and connected with a backhand that threw into a copse of trees behind them. “I am Yami, the master of shadows.” 

_“Ok, Yami. The names Will O' and I'm the spiritual protector of these woods,”_ Will O' said as she stood up in the treeline. 

“I don't care what your name is ghost,” Yami said as he drew the shadows of the trees out to wrap themselves around her.

 _“Really, well two can play at that game.”,_ Will O' called out as she willed the roots under his feet to reach up and wrap themselves around his legs, tripping him and as he landed more roots wrapped around his body. She then ghosted across the clearing out of his shadowed reach. She then saw him melt into his own shadow and reappear in the shadow of a tree. _“Well this is gonna be fun!”_

He rushed at her again. She easily blocked his baton with her ax only to feel a sharp pain in her shoulder. She looked back as he was pulling a black blade from the wound.

**Mystery Shack  
Twins attic**

“WENDY!”, Dipper screamed as he jolted awake.

“What's wrong Dip?”, Mabel asked having been awoken by his scream. 

“Wendy's in pain, she needs me.”, he said jumping out of bed and shifting into his winged shifter form as he headed towards the window in their room. 

“Hold on bro-bro, do you even know where to go?”, Mabel said sliding out of bed to stand between her brother and the window. 

“I have a good idea,” He said trying to get around her. 

“Let me try something, it may help get you there faster,” Mabel said as she grabbed Wendy's trapper hat and intoned, “Hxibrmt” 

In her mind's eye Mabel saw Wendy in the middle of a clearing fighting a someone in all black and she was bleeding from her left shoulder. Once she was able to get a clear vision of the area she chanted, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and a golden glow flowed over Shifter. 

**Woods over looking Gravity Falls lake**

Yami is standing over a fallen Will O'. she is currently bleeding from several cuts across her body and the one stab wound. It seemed like each cut slowed her down to the point she was no longer able to defend herself. Yami slid his tonfa into the it's belt loop, switched his knife to his other hand, and reached for the silver item on on his hip. Will O' saw it looked like a small silver mirror. 

“And now it is time to banish you back to the beyond where you belong,” Yami said as he started to recite the banishment spell. Suddenly there was a bright golden glow to his left and he was tackled by a guy in a fedora and a trench coat.

“I don't know who you are man, but you've picked the wrong time to attack someone I love,” Shifter said as they landed. He stood up and grabbed Yami by the harness he wore and flung he into a tree. He ran over to tackle him only for Yami to melt into the shadow of the tree causing him to go shoulder first into the tree. 

Yami stepped out of the shadow of a tree on the other side of the clearing. Shifter charged at him again and Yami again melted into the trees shadow and reappeared further in the grove of trees. Shifter continued after him and he keep flowing backwards. He finally flowed out into the shadow of a tree at the edge of the treeline. Shifter dived towards him and he melded into the shadows once more sending Shifter over the edge of the cliff. 

Yami reappeared next to Will O' and began the chant again. As he finished the chant, he was looking at her expecting to see her disappear into nothingness and was shocked when nothing happened. He was about to start it again when he heard a scream come from above him.

“Leave her alone!”, Shifter bellowed as he dived at him from above with his wings flapping. He shifted into a Manotaur as he hit and then grabbed his head in his hand. He picked Yami up by his head and slammed him back into the ground hard. 

_“I tried to tell you. I'm not a ghost, I'm the spiritual protector of the woods.”,_ Will O' said as she slowly stood up. Some of the smaller cut were finally starting to heal. _“There is no ghost to banish.”_

Shifter rush over to her side, “Are you ok?”

 _“Yeah. Worry about him,”_ Will O' said as they turned to see that Yami had disappeared. _“Where'd he go?”_

After wait a couple of minutes for him to return and when he didn't Shifter tapped the bud in his ear and said, “Glamur, two to return home.” 

“You got is broseph, Tzgv Lu Gizevo!”, Mabel said on the other end of the line.

The golden glow enveloped Shifter and Will O'.

**Mystery Shack  
Twins attic**

As Shifter and Will O' appeared in the room Mabel rushed over to the healing Will O'.

Dipper returned to normal and looked over his girlfriend most of the cuts have healed but the stab wounds was still bad. He grabbed her hand and tried to see if their connection would allow him to help her heal. He felt some of the pain but it really did not seem to be working as good as when she helped him. 

Mabel put her hand on Will O's shoulder and intoned, “Yovhhrmt Lu Oruv!”

The wound started healing faster and with in moments Will O' was good enough to change back into Wendy. Before he would allow her to be sent back to her home Dipper insisted that he checked over her the areas where she had been wounded. Luckily there didn't seem to be any scars. He just held her for a few minutes, glad he was able to help her as much as he could.

“What did he want?”, Mabel asked once they were certain Wendy was ok. 

“He seemed to have some type of beef with ghosts, he tried to trap me in a silver mirror and to banish me.”, Wendy said happy to be with her boyfriend and his sister. 

“He did what? And why didn't it work?”, Mabel asked.

“He was trying to banish a ghost. The moment the lumberjack ghost merged with me, he became the protector spirit of the forest and was no longer a ghost.”, Wendy said, “I need to get going or I'm just gonna fall asleep here and while I wouldn't mind, I don't think dad would understand.” 

“Alright here we go,” Mabel said as she looked over at her brother and one of her best friends, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” 

Wendy was enveloped in the familiar golden glow and headed back to her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is Chapter 40. This chapter is a decent mix of action and character interaction. The Shack family discussed the revelation made at the end of the last chapter and Dipper received Dan's approval in dating Wendy. Will O' and Yami meet for the first time and have a good through down. For those wondering why the Holy Water didn't affect her but the obsidian dagger did. She is essentially a beneficial spirit in tune with nature and in such is immune to the Holy Water as she is on the side of good, while the dagger is enchanted to cause damage to any supernatural entity and to slow down it's healing. We also saw that Dipper is able to help heal her but it is harder as she is the supernatural entity. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Five is a story of Mabel & Pacifica running into one of the Pines twins old 'friends' after looking for Robbie and/or Tony at the mall. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. They're back, I can now see the reviews on the site again so please feel free to review.
> 
> 20-8-5 11-5-5-16-5-18 19-8-1-12-12 19-15-15-14 6-9-14-4 23-8-1-20 19-8-5 19-5-5-11-19.


	41. Chapter 41

** Chapter 41 **

**McGucket Mansion**

The rest of the day went as one would expect for a Thanksgiving Day in Gravity Falls. There were three turkeys in one of the stoves, while the other stove held a green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, a tortilla casserole, and a sweet potato casserole. On the stove top there was a big pot of corn on the cob and water boiling to make stuffing later. 

After having spent four days as a recliner, Abuelita had no trouble accepting not only the existence of the Manotaurs, but that one was eating dinner with them. In fact one of the funnest parts of the day was when Abuelita insisted that Testosteraur wear more than his loincloth to dinner, no one really questioned why she had an outfit in his size. It was fun watching him try to put on the cardigan with his one horn. 

Fiddleford gave everyone a tour of the remodeled mansion. Abuelita tried to cleaned the vines off of the marble pillars in the foyer until he told her that he had intentionally made them grow as a way to still feel at home. Ford, Dipper, and Francis were fascinated with the lab he had built in the old ballroom. Mabel loved the look of Pacifica's home away from home, the closet was closed to hide the Charger armor from Abuelita. Testosteraur, Stan, Wildbill, Tony, and Adam seemed interested in the old trophy room which McGucket had turned into his TV room, with a seventy inch HD TV. He said it was mostly used when Tate was over. Needless to say it was used for the days football games. The study was now used as an office and library for his patents. When the tour was done Dipper, Melody, Abuelita, and Pacifica all returned to the kitchen to finish up preparations for the feast. Francis, Ford, and Fiddleford retired to the lab until it was time to eat. After getting kicked out of the kitchen for trying to add glitter to the mashed potatoes, Mabel joined the guys in watching the football games. 

When it was time to eat Adam was selected to carve the turkey at the table. The rest of the food (including the other turkeys, which was already deboned) was served buffet style on a separate table. The dessert was on yet another table and included pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, sugar cream pie, fruit salad, and for Mabel a funfetti cake with vanilla frost covered in edible glitter. There was a solemn toast for those who were no longer among them. At one point there seemed to be a contest going on between Soos and Testosteraur over who could eat more, which Soos barely lost. 

**Corduroy house**

The Corduroy's Thanksgiving was a simple affair with Manly Dan deep frying the turkey while Wendy made mash potatoes, beans, and stuffing. Mayor Tyler brought two pumpkin pies and Hawaiian sweet rolls. There was also a few bags of chips and pretzels to snack on while the boys were in watching the football games. Wendy had hid one bag of chips in her room for later. The food was served on the table but everyone but Wendy ate in the living room as they were glued to the TV. It was yet another day that Wendy missed her mother, she would have been able to keep her dad at the table and he would have kept the boys there also. At least they had said the blessing around the table before everyone had abandoned it for the boob tube. 

**Smark house**

Ever since Lee's parents had learned that Nate was going to just eat a TV dinner the first year after his parents had moved to Florida, they had insisted that he was to come to their house for Thanksgiving. His curry potatoes were a hit and now he brings them and crab meat deviled eggs every year. As one of the only families to know he lived alone, he has become an unofficial member of the family. 

**Thompson residence**

Thompson's parents were surprised when he had told them that he invited Alexa to dinner, but was joyful when she accepted. Over the dinner they found out she was a third generation American of Russian descent and her family really wasn't to big on large gatherings for the holiday. They talked about how, like Thompson, she was planning on taking online college courses in business management. By the end of the night his mother had pulled him aside and told him to not screw this relationship up.

**Portland, OR  
Chang's Oriental Garden **

As had become a tradition since the two girls had became friends in grade school Grenda and Candy's families went out to eat in Portland. The parents regaled each other with work stories that they hadn't shared at the last holiday get together. Between Grenda's dad who owned the Cliffe Family Plumbers company and Candy's mom who ran the town's floral shop, they knew most of the gossip in the town. Grenda's mom was a secretary and Candy's dad work on the factory floor at the Northwest Mudflap Factory, so they compared notes on the business and the other employees. One of the biggest stories they all shared was the fact that the Northwests had left town for a gala of some sort and left Pacifica home to spend the holiday with friends. The day usually end with the girls spending the night at one house or the other. This year it was Candy's turn to stay at Grenda's house. 

**Gravity Falls  
Mauslein house **

With her mother and brother being vegetarians, Tambry's Thanksgiving dinner was usually a little different from her friends. There was an abundance of veggies and tofu based products for her mother and brother. Her father had bought a turkey breast and a small bacon cheddar potato casserole for the two of them. And being a mixed religion household made it different as well. After her father gave a traditional blessing, her mother said a prayer to mother earth for the family's bountiful repast. While she respected both of her parent's traditions she could never wrap her head around an Earth Goddess or One all powerful being, especially in light of every scientific breakthrough the modern world has made. At least till she met her new friend last night. 

**Valentino household**

While his parent's worked on the Thanksgiving dinner Robbie had spent his morning starting to dig the plot for Mrs. Pines. While he didn't really like any of the Pines, he's always had a respect for his family's business and would never want to do a shoddy job when it came to preparing for a funeral. His plans included working til his mom said dinner was almost done and then he would go in and take a quick shower. After dinner he planned on meeting Blair for a movie and he would finish up digging tomorrow. Currently the plans were to have the preparations done before Sunday. He would help make sure the funeral would go off with out a hitch and then Monday he could go back to hating Dipper's guts. 

**Greasy's Diner**

Lazy Susan, one other waitress, and the cook were all working the Thanksgiving shift as they were really the only family each other had. Plus they didn't mind as they were feeding townsfolk who really didn't have any one at home to cook for them. Among the various booths were Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland, Bodacious T, Jonah Smith, his daughter-in-law, and her kids Eddy & Erin. Gillian Ruperts and her grandson James were also in attendance, apparently he had twisted his ankle yesterday while they were on a hike. So far the turkey manhattans with green beans and stuffing was the days biggest seller, though little Erin wanted a grilled cheese sandwich instead of the manhattan. Susan had made sure to make plenty of pumpkin pies last night and sent one home with each of the groups free of charge. 

**Mystery Shack  
Twins attic**

Around seven after dinner was done and leftovers were divided up, everyone went home. Once there the twins had contacted all of their various friends to make sure nothing had happened during the day. Dipper was sitting on his bed reflecting on how good it had felt to have a day where they didn't have to worry about any threats to their families. He was fairly deep in thought when he got a text from Wendy asking if he wanted to come over for a movie night now that all of the familial obligations were over. He didn't even take a second to think it over before he said he would be right over. He grabbed a couple of the DVD's he had picked up while down in Piedmont before heading down stairs. 

As he reached the bottom of the stairs he ran into his dad. Adam asked, “So where are you going, young man?”

“Just heading over to Wendy's for a movie night,” Dipper replied, “We like to get together to watch terrible b-movies and trash them as we do.” 

“Are you sure that is such a good idea, I mean you two have only been dating a few weeks?”, Adam asked genuinely worried the couple was moving too fast.

“Dad long before we started dating she was my best friend,” Dipper explained to his father, “this is a tradition we started over the summer. It's a way for us to relax and blow off steam. We spend most of the time pointing out all of the flaws of the movies and joking about how small the budget's had to be for them. As for our new status, we're planning on going slow. We both know we have our whole lives ahead of us and neither of us want to risk anything while we are this young.”

“Well, I guess it'll be ok than.”, Adam said as he reflected on how much his son sounded like someone twice his age.

“Plus, you've met her dad. Do you think I'd be stupid enough to do anything while he was around,” Dipper said in a joking tone.

“Ok, you've got a point there.” Adam smiled as he remembered the size difference between Dipper and Dan, “Alright have fun then.”

**Corduroy house**

About ten minutes later Dipper arrived at Wendy's and saw her sitting on the porch waiting for him. He walked up to her and gently kissed her cheek. 

“Nice night isn't it?”, He asked as went to sit down beside her. 

“Yep, but it's even better now that my boy got here.”, Wendy said as she pulled his cap off and ruffled his hair.

“Aw, man. Why'd you do that?”, Dipper asked putting the hat back on.

“To break you out of lovey-dovey mode, man. We still have to get past my dad,” Wendy said as she nudged his shoulder. 

“Well, let's go face the music then.” Dipper said with a smirk as he got up and offered her his hand.

“So what did you bring tonight?”, Wendy asked as she got up. 

“Well I've got 'Hello Mummy, Where's Daddy?', 'Them Lives!', and 'Shocky Horror Treatment Show'.” Dipper said as they got to the door, “The last one is better at the theater, but I really don't see it ever playing here. Patrick and Jacob took Mabel and I to see it one night after practice.”

“It's out on DVD, but they still show it at theaters?”, Wendy asked as they went in. 

“Yeah, it's got a big cult following. Fans dress up as their favorite characters, sing and dance to the musical numbers, yell one liners at the screen, and generally have fun socializing.”, Dipper whispered as they walked past Manly Dan snoozing on the living room sofa. 

“Mumble, grumble. Buzz-saw, grumble, snore. biker, snore.”, was all they heard as they walked past. What they didn't see was the smile on his face or that he opened one eye as they made it to the stairs. 

As they got to her room they both cracked up. As her laughter died down Wendy said, “Man, that was funny as hell. Turkey coma in full force.”

“And it sounded like he was dreaming of using a buzz-saw on some biker or something,” Dipper said shivering as he thought of Dan being mad enough to resort to using something mechanical to hurt someone.

“Oh, that. Uhm, well I've been around him enough to know that's actually one of his regular dreams.”, Wendy said while she considered if she should continue. Knowing Dipper probably wouldn't care she added, “Something about him being Montie the Mountie, like the old cartoon character, and having to stop Eric Evilton from using a buzz-saw to cut a log with Fair Tyler Cutebiker tied to it.”

“Oh, ok.”, Dipper said processing the information, “So are they?”

“Not as far as I know, but it seems like they keep dancing around it. Tyler's here half of the time anymore, ever since dad found out that he was the only reason Tyler even went to the Fractured Skull.” Wendy said somewhat uncomfortable talking about her dad's potential love life, “And to tell you the truth if they make each other happy, then ok.”

“Sounds about right,” Dipper said as he went to end the topic. He held up the DVD's and said, “It's your choice, which do you want to see first?”

“Well, let's go with the oldest first.” Wendy replied.

Dipper handed her 'Hello Mummy, Where's Daddy?' and sat down on her bed to watch the movie. Wendy had stretched out on her stomach as she watched the film.

About twenty minutes into the story Wendy was laughing as she said, “Ok, this is bad. I mean the worst. Have you ever seen a worse mummy?”

“I know, I could make a better one with two rolls of toilet paper. And the fact that we are supposed to believe that the kids haven't realized that the mom has been replaced by a mummy.” Dipper laughed so hard he didn't realize he was holding her hand. It had happened so naturally, that he didn't notice it till he realized he was reaching across himself to grab chips cause his body knew the other hand was occupied. As he started to move his hand he realized Wendy wasn't letting it go.

“Don't worry man, I'm not gonna get mad cause you're holding my hand. We are dating now,” Wendy said with a smile.

“I know, I guess part of me is trying to keep Movie Night as it's always been. Just friendly banter and such,” Dipper said hanging his head a little, “This was always the best way for both of us to blow off steam and I guess I'm just worried we'd lose that if we started kissing and hugging during them. I know it's silly, but I really don't want to do anything to mess us up.”

“Dude, chill. I know neither of us want that,” Wendy said as she let go of his hand so she could pull herself into a seated position next to him. She put an arm around him and laid her head on his as she spoke, “You worry too much though. I've been through too much to want to rush this either. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be upset when you want to hug me or even just hold my hand.”

“I know, I'm just so new at this. I wanted this for so long and now I'm worried I'm gonna mess it up,” Dipper said as he pulled back and looked her in the eyes, “It doesn't help I promised both of our fathers that we weren't going to go too fast and really I...”

“Look Dip, chill. We're both new to us being more than friends. Like you, I'm figuring this out as we go.”, Wendy said as she took ahold of his hand again. 

Dipper was just about to say something else when they both heard snickering at the door. Wendy started to get up to yell at her brothers when Dipper stopped her. He whispered, “I've got this.” He slowly walked over to the door and as he grabbed the handle he shifted into Manly Dan. He opened the door and said, “What Have I Told You Boys About Bothering Your Sister!”

The three ran to their rooms so fast that none of them wondered how their sleeping dad had gotten into their sister's room without passing them. 

“Oh man, that was fun.”, Dipper said to Wendy as she was cracking up.

Few minutes later they heard one of the boys going downstairs and then a few seconds later they heard him run back upstairs followed by the heavy footfalls of Manly Dan. Once he was upstairs they heard some talking in the hall before there was a knock on her door. Wendy paused the movie while Dipper got up to answer the door.

Dipper opened the door and stood there as Dan looked inside. Seth, the youngest Corduroy stood behind him. Finally Dipper asked, “Is something wrong sir?”

“The boys came to me saying they had thought I was here in Wendy's room,” Dan Corduroy said still looking around Wendy's room.

“Well we did catch them snickering in the hall while trying to spy on us and I asked them to please respect our privacy. I know I've gotten a little bit taller and I have been working out, so I'm extremely flattered that they would mistake me for you sir.”, Dipper said with a perfect straight face.

“Exactly what happened dad,” Wendy added.

“But dad,” Seth tried to break into the conversation only to get a dirty look from Wendy.

After looking the young man in the face for any type of tell Manly Dan finally relented before saying, “Alright, though I'm worried about the boys making that big of a mistake and they were spying too. What were they hearing that made them snicker though?”

“Well we were talking about how we were wanting to make sure that even though we are dating that we keep movie night the way it's always been. A night to watch low grade b-movies and verbally trash them,” Dipper replied, “And how us being more than friends was still new to us and not wanting to rush it. They were probably thinking I got friendzoned or something.” 

“Well you two need to be saying good bye soon,” Dan said irritated that the boys thought they had to wake him up over something so trivial. 

“But dad, we've only watched thirty minutes of the movie. Can we please finish it first?”, Wendy asked

“Alright, but just the one movie. No marathon's tonight,” Dan said as he saw that Dipper had brought over three movies. He started to protest one of the movies before he remembered he was about Wendy's age when he first met his Bernie while at a Shocky Horror showing. She was dressed as Colombe, while he was Freddie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 41 is in the books. Sorry for the two chapter post on Thursday, my phone bill had came up and I didn't get it paid in time. My oldest was supposed to let me use his phone on Tuesday & Wednesday but ended up talking to his girlfriend till it was too late for him to let me use it. But my phone is back for at least another month ;-). I hope everyone is happy with me just summarizing various Thanksgiving traditions instead of going into full on detail (if I had done that this would be three or four chapters :-p ) I also have been wanting to do a movie night for awhile and this allowed me to have Dipper and Wendy talk a little about how they want their relationship to go. For those who are wondering, Tambry's mother is of Romanii or Gypsy stock and still follows some of their traditions. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Five is a story of Mabel & Pacifica running into one of the Pines twins old 'friends' after looking for Robbie and/or Tony at the mall. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. They're back, I can now see the reviews on the site again so please feel free to review.
> 
> 9-20'19 10-21-19-20 1 19-20-5-16 20-15 20-8-5 12-5-6-20.


	42. Chapter 42

** Chapter 42 **

Piedmont, CA Friday November 23rd, 2012 5:35 AM  
OSW Training Gym 

The building is surrounded by two Fire Department battalions with three of the trucks spraying down the buildings next to the gym to make sure they did not catch fire also. Several members of the wrestling company had arrived after one of the guys caught the news report after he got off his shift as a security officer. He called Antonio and between the two of them they reached out to others to make sure no one had been training late last night. 

Antonio tried again to reach William but was interrupted by a police detective as she walked up and began talking, “Excuse me sir, I'm Detective Niobe. I need to speak with you for a moment. I was directed to you by some of the others watching, they say you're the man in charge of the company in the building.”

“Yes ma'am, the names Antonio English.” Antonio said as he offered his hand, which “I'm currently in charge. The owner is out of state spending Thanksgiving with his godchildren.” 

“I have some questions for you,” Detective Niobe said as she shook his hand, “If you would be so kind as to follow me.” 

“Sure thing ma'am,” Antonio said watching as she walked away.

**Gravity Falls 9:21 AM  
Mystery Shack  
Twins room**

Dipper recently had been the first one up, if he even had went to bed but today he had actually slept in and more surprising was the fact that his sister had let him. The peaceful and relaxing previous day had calmed him down enough he had slept soundly for the first time since the fight in Piedmont. As he rolled over he looked at his sister's bed and saw that either she had already made it or more likely she hadn't slept in it. He didn't remember seeing her in the room when he got home. He felt a sudden shift of pressure at the foot of the bed and looked down to see Valerie coming up the covers looking to be petted if he wasn't mistaken.

“So how are you this morning?”, he asked as he reached out and petted the black and white feline. “Mrow” was the only answer he got.

He petted her for a few minutes and then got up to go get dressed. After he had tossed on a pair of black jeans and a blue button up flannel shirt he headed down to eat breakfast. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of Cheap-Os cereal. He could tell Grunkle Stan had bought groceries last time. He wolfed down the bowl and washed the bowl, then put it in the drainer. 

As he walked into the living room he saw Stan in the recliner where he had apparently fell asleep last night watching football. There was some morning game show on right now, but he really wasn't in the mood to watch it. He started to change the channel but then heard Stan mutter, “I'm watching that.” 

“Oh, ok. Grunkle Stan.” Dipper said looking back at Stan and not even seeing his eyes open, “You seen Mabel this morning?”

“She went back to McGucket's last night.”, Stan said as finally opened his eyes. “Something about not wanting to leave Pacifica alone for the night.”

“Ah. That explains that,” Dipper said, “What about Tony and Francis?”

“Down with Ford working on that club-house for you guys,” Stan said as he pulled off the blanket someone had laid over his lap. He was still in his slacks from yesterday. 

“Darn it, I was hoping to spend some time with them today.”, Dipper said sadly as he got ready to head into town to hit the arcade for a little bit, “Well I'm heading to town for a little while, if anyone wants me. I'll see you later Grunkle Stan.”

“All right,” Stan said getting up to head to his room to get dressed for the day, “Your dad and I are gonna go see the Valentinos later to finalize the funeral arrangements.”

“Watch out for Robbie, he's been acting like even more of a jerk than normal.”, Dipper said as he walked out of the door.

**Inside the Bunker**

Ford was standing at the entrance to one of the halls that was to be used for the bedrooms for the team when they need to stay in the Bunker for the night. Tony was running back towards him after he had place a square box down near the end of the tunnel. Francis was watching with rapt attention as Ford waited for Tony to be clear. They heard Testosteraur and McGucket working down in the tunnel that the computers and communications equipment was going to be set up. They were just putting in the final touches as the wiring and lighting had been finished and they had put in EMP proof insulation. 

“Well here goes nothing,” Ford said as he readied to press the control button.

“Are you sure we didn't have to clear out more room before we did this?”, Tony asked as he prepared to grab his brother and run. 

“Of course I'm sure,” Ford said confidently while looking down the tunnel, then his confidence faltered slightly as he added, “Eighty-five percent sure,”

“What?”, Tony asked as Ford pushed the button with a smile.

The four inch by four inch by four inch square box begun to expand, seemingly doubling in size every second. As the box finally got big to touch the ceiling and walls, the dirt it encountered seemed to disappear before their eyes. When the room stopped expanding it was eighteen feet wide by twenty feet deep by 10 feet tall room with the door in the middle of the tunnel. Once they were certain the room had finished expanding the trio went down to examine the room. The door opened to reveal a queen size bed with the head board along one wall, an end table next to the bed, a recliner next to the end table, a full bath in one back corner, a desk recessed into the other corner of the back wall, a desk chair, a closet in between the desk and the bathroom, a bookcase, and a bureau with a TV sitting on top. 

“Ok, this is nice. Good going grandpa,” Francis said as he was looking around the room figuring out what he would put where when he get's his room. “Will the displacement of the ground around it destabilize it any?”

“No, since this was made for only a single expansion I was able to make the walls out of eight inch thick slats of the same metal Fiddleford used to make the Charger unit. Ford said as he examined the furniture to make sure they held up properly, “I was able to expand the closet. Once we get all of the rooms placed, everyone will be able to personalize them. We'll also need to put in an alert system since other than the door the room is practically soundproof.”

“Nice, I can blast my music as loud as I want and not have to worry about someone complaining,” Tony said as he nudged his brother. 

“And I won't have to listen to you snore anymore,” Francis shot back

Satisfied that everything was good Ford started to head out of the door, “Alright, we have fourteen more to set up.”

**Tambry's lair**

Tambry had been sitting at her computer since shortly after she had she woke up at five this morning. She was currently chatting with Tab as she was figuring out what all she was wanting to install in the Bunker. Anticipating the need she had set up a secondary computer screen. On the first she had one window open running a search program for any reference to a white knight and a red knight. Along with a sticky pad window where she was typing up the list.

“So, I'm gonna want to have at least twelve or more terabytes of data and storage space, plus the highest processing power available.”, She rattled off, “A total immersion helmet, hmmm...”

'Mi'lady. After the incident at the bank the other day, I didst search news reports from around the realm. There doth seem to have been an influx of crimes committed by people that seemingly have abilities that shouldst be out of the range of normal human beings. Most of these have either been suppressed or blamed on hallucinations.' Tab's word balloon popped up interrupting her typing. 

“Really, what have you been able to ascertain?”, Tambry asked the icon.

'Well since approximately the middle of July there have been nearly eighty-three cases reported around the realm Some examples include a string of vaults being emptied without being opened, rooms being robbed and the burglar jumping out of the third story window to escape, a young hoodlum being shot with frozen bullets, a group of zombies robbing an electronics store, a pack of canines robbing a credit union, and many more.', The new word balloon read. 

“I'm gonna need to let the gang know about this,” Tambry said as she grabbed her phone, “How long will it take to collect all of the articles into one file.” 

'I doth anticipated thy request and have been collecting the file as we speak. There will be plenty of information available post haste,' Tab replied, 'Have you spoken to Master Anthony since we last spoke?'

“No,” Tambry said as she was going through her contacts to figure out who she was going to call first, “Why are you asking?”

'Well from your blog post the other day, it doth seem like he mayhaps be a close friend of yours. Whilest yesterday was celebration of thanks, I thought thou mayth thanked him.', the squire's word balloon said. 

“Alright, I think you need to stay out of my personal life.”, Tambry said with a blush, “There is something I need you to look up for me though.”

'What ever thou dost ask mi'lady.' the word balloon read.

“A few days ago, my friend Nate had a Dr. Nuit draw blood from him at the hospital. I have been unable to find anything on him,” Tambry said to the computer spirit, “Also with Dipper and Mabel's mom having worked at a hospital in Piedmont California, you might check there also. I've already uncovered some evidence that her death was a little bit hinky.”

'Mayhaps I request aid on these endeavors?' Squire Tab's icon asked.

“Alright how would I do that?” Tambry asked, “Remember I'm still new at all of this.”

'I shall provide thou with her name and then thou willst need to request her assistance. The one from whom thou seek aid is named @$+@' the word balloon read.

“Ok, so I just need to put my thoughts on the task and call out the name Asta?” Tambry asked as she had place both hands on her keyboard. As she looked up there was another icon in the opposite bottom corner of the second screen.

'Don't worry Toots, I've just been waiting on my buddy here to figure out a way to introduce us.' The balloon coming from the bloodhound icon read.

“Ok, a talking dog.”, Tambry said as she studied the new icon. 

'Whad'ya expect for a program initially designed to hunt down terrorist plots, a lawyer in a wheelchair?' the icon's balloon said as it scratched behind it's ear. 

“A soldier maybe?”, Tambry said glad that no one was around to here her talking to her computer screen. She shook her head and got back to the point by asking, “Alright I've had some trouble...”

The bloodhound's word balloon read, 'Yeah, yeah. Keep yer skirt on. I've been listening in while you were talking ta the Lancelot's whipping boy here. Looking for information about a Dr Nuit that vamped a couple of test tube from a friend of yers. I'm guessing this happened in Gravity Falls General, right? And the other bit was something about your bff's beau's mother and a hospital in Piedmont California, right. You got times and dates on ya?'

“One moment,” Tambry said as she popped a text out to Nate and then one to Dipper. Nate was the first to respond so she read it off to the screen, “Dr Nuit was Saturday November 17th approximately 2 PM.”

'Ok, that shouldn't be to hard.' the hound's balloon read.

“And the other was last seen at Heritage Memorial Hospital getting off work at 8 and the gentleman who was gonna escort her home arrived at 8:30 and she had already left. So that's the time table there,” Tambry said to the dog that was now apparently chasing it's tail. Looking over to Tab she asked, “You sure she's good at this? I mean she's chasing her tail.” 

'Yes mi'lady. Despite her roughness, she doth be the best in her field.' Tab's balloon read.

**Downtown Gravity Falls**

After a good walk Dipper was at the beginning of Main Street and just looked around as he walked. Since he had been back in town he really hadn't taken a chance to just walk the town for awhile. He passed more than a few faces he recognized, usually getting a 'Hi' or “Good to see you'. Without thinking about it he ended up at the Arcade. He walked in and looked around to see what games they may have gotten since the last time he was here. He saw they still had Nort, Fight Fighters (he was staying away from that one for now), Battle Street IV (a fighting game from one of the rival game companies), Tomcat Pilot, Kaiju Towers, Route 55, Ghost Maze, Pizza Time, Frog Time, Retro Pro Wrestling, a Dancy Pants Revolution game (finally replacing the forever broken Ho Down Hero game), and he finally settled on Gear Grinding (a pod style racing game). 

As he was about to drop in his tokens, a blond hair guy around his age said, “Mind if I join you. These racing games are always funner when you actually are facing someone else.”

“Sure, it's your token.”, Dipper said looking over at his competition. He saw the guy was wearing a Cattleman Jazz t-shirt he had a scar under his right eye.

“Ready to get smoked,” The blond asked as the countdown started.

“Nah. You'll be eating nitro most of the track, so I'm not too worried.” Dipper said just as the race started. Despite both of the early bragging it came down to the last turn on the track and they both crashed after one of the CPU cars swerved in front of them, causing them to come in tied for last.

“Dang it. We were robbed,” The blond guy said, “Good race there man, the names James.”

“Dipper. Dipper Pines,” Dipper said holding his hand out to shake.

James took it and said,” Pines? Like Stan Pines from the Mystery Shack?”

“Yeah, he's my great uncle.”, Dipper said giving James another once over.

“Man, that means we're like cousins by marriage or something.”, James said with a shocked look on his face that was mirrored by Dipper.

“Say what?”, Dipper asked.

“Yeah, your great uncle was married to my grandmother for like six hours about twenty some odd years ago.” James said looking over at Dipper, “I just found out on Sunday.”

“Well, what a small world.”, Dipper said somewhat incredulously, remembering Stan said something about being married at one time but he never mentioned any kids. This was all to coincidental and he doesn't believe in coincidences anymore. He was about to say something when Tambry texted him, looking at James he said, “Give me a moment.”

After he replied James asked, “You want to go for another race?”

“Nah, that was Stan. They need me back at the Shack, someone threw an opossum in the laundry room and I've been elected to chase it out of the house. Wimps,” Dipper said as he got up from the racing game and went to head out of the Arcade, “Maybe I'll see you around James.”

“Sure thing Dipper,” James said as he put another token into the game. 

Once out of the Arcade Dipper headed back towards the Shack as fast as he could. 

**Mystery Shack**

WildBill was just waking up from the nap he took after Ford told him he was staring to look worse than a zombie, he had been up since his nap Wednesday. Ford gave him a spare cot he had in the basement and told him Adam said he could crash in his room. 

He looked down at his phone, he had forgot he had it on silent while he was watching the perimeter. He had two calls and three texts from Antonio and one from the Piedmont area code that he didn't recognize. Both of the texts and the first message from Antonio all were 'Call me' messages the other message from Antonio said, 'The Police are possibly gonna call you, someone set the gym on fire late last night or real early this morning.'. the last message ended up being, 'This is Detective Niobe, Piedmont PD arson division. We'd like to talk to you about the fire in building that housed your Business. Please contact us as soon as possible.' 

**Open Arms Motel  
Room 211**

Gillian was sitting at the table in her room when she heard the door open. James walked in and sat at the tables other chair. He waited for her to finish reading the page she was on and to put a bookmark in before he spoke, “When we were at the Mystery Shack, did you happen to check Stanley Pines to see if what we're looking for is in the possession of his bloodline?”

“There was no point, Stan has not married and his brother has been out of this dimension for thirty years.”, Gillian responded.

“Well he at least has a great nephew, I just met him at the arcade twenty minutes ago.”, James told her, happy to see the shocked look on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 42 is done. We have the start of the final bit of the Piedmont storyline. Ford getting the bedroom started and he may make modified versions of the rooms to house other aspects of the Bunker also. Still haven't sat down and drawn it out yet. Tambry gains another digital totem. Dipper learns he has another 'cousin'. Wildbill learns of the fire. And Gillian learns she has another person to check. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Six is one of the darkest story I have written for the Gravity Heroes-verse and probably will be for a long time. It's Yami's origin and tells the reason he hates ghosts so much. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. They're back, I can now see the reviews on the site again so please feel free to review.
> 
> 19-15-13-5-20-9-13-5-19 6-1-13-9-12-25 9-19 13-15-18-5 20-8-1-14 1 23-15-18-4.


	43. Chapter 43

** Chapter 43 **

**McGucket Mansion**

“Are you sure we should be doing this?”, Pacifica asked covered in sweat.

“Don't worry Paz, this is perfectly natural.” Mabel responded with her brow glistening.

“How did I let you talk me into this?”, Pacifica asked 

“Because you said you wanted to do something fun,” Mabel said slightly out of breath.

“Ok, I did say that.”, Pacifica said panting, “But, like, I didn't know it would be so physical.”

“Working up a sweat,” Mabel said wiping sweat off of her brow, “is part of the fun.”

“Do you mean you really think this is fun?”, Pacifica asked as she blew some stray hairs out of her face, “Are we even doing this the right way?” 

“Of course it's fun. And everything worth doing,” Mabel said looking her girlfriend in the eyes, “is worth doing the right way.”

“So two hours of knitting matching sweaters is really all you want to do?”, Pacifica asked as she leaned over and place a small kiss on Mabel's cheek causing her to blush. 

“Well yeah, I want to do more of that in a bit.”, Mabel said still blushing, “But I want to have these ready for when we decide to let people know about us. I know our friends and my family know, but this is still a small town. We won't be able to hide this for too long.”

“I know. And really I'm ready to let everyone know but my parents.”, Pacifica said looking down at her half finished sweater then over at Mabel's nearly finished one, “I mean I have ways of stopping them from doing most things, but part of me wonders if this would send them over the edge. They've already tried to set up arranged marriages for me in the past, heck Marius was supposed to be at the party he met Grenda at in order to meet me and see if I would be a good match for him.” 

“Paz, honey,” Mabel said sitting down her work to take Pacifica's hand, “You know I'd never let them do anything to hurt you. And believe me I have the power to stop them now.” 

“I know, but I still worry about it.”, Pacifica said squeezing Mabel's hand, “They don't see that you and Dipper have made me a better person, they just see the two of you as corrupting me.”

“If helping you realize there's more to life than money, then I'm all for corrupting you.”, Mabel said kissing Pacifica causing her to blush, “And anyways, you make me a better person too.”

“Really,” Pacifica replied in a shocked tone. She never figured she was helping Mabel in any way.

“Yeah, you help ground me. When you're around I don't feel as flighty as I used to be,” Mabel explained, “I'm still little miss sunshine, but I know I have to take things seriously now and not just to let things blow over. I know there are times to be silly and times to be completely serious, all because of you.”

“Alright, to hell with my parents. Let's get these done so we can show them off,” Pacifica said as she went back to work on the sweater with a renewed vigor. 

**Mystery Shack  
Portable Motel Room**

Wildbill is sitting in the room's recliner on the phone with the Piedmont Arson investigator, “Yes Detective Niobe, I'll be in Tuesday morning. I have a funeral Sunday, my godchildren's mother was one of the people killed in the semi accident last Monday. I'm going to be one of the Pallbearers. Her husband and I are going to be driving back down to Piedmont Monday, but it's nearly an eight hour drive even if we don't stop for gas or food. Alright I'll be in at ten for the interview. I'll pass on the condolences, thank you.” 

Once he hung up the phone, he grabbed his trench and the bag of weapons. Opening the door he walked around and looked to see if there were any cars in the lot he didn't recognize. Seeing none he walked over to the stone entrance and opened it up. Once down in the tunnel he headed towards the main hall and started looking for Ford.

 **Stanmobile**

Stan drove Adam over to the Valentino's Mortuary which Adam still couldn't believe was ran out of their house. He really didn't know what to expect when he met them, he really couldn't see anyone normal living that way. Sure the woman he spoke to over the phone seemed friendly enough, but still having a mortuary in your house caused him to shiver as he thought about it.

“So how long have you known the Valentinos, Uncle Stan?”, Adam asked as they were pulling up to the drive leading to the cemetery and the home. 

“Well around eleven years, they moved back to town after his father retired in order to take over the business. They're pleasant enough if a little weird, but you have to watch out for their son Robbie.” Stan said as he was parking the car, “He and Dipper have a history, Robbie started dating Wendy a little while after the kids got down here. It tore Dipper up and Robbie made sure that Dipper knew that he knew Dipper like Wendy. The two were at each others throats when ever Wendy wasn't around, it lasted until Dipper proved that Robbie was just using her. The goth punk is lucky I didn't introduce him to my brass knuckles.”

“Then why did you suggest them?”, Adam asked looking over at his uncle as undid his seat-belt.

“Well last I remember seeing Robbie, he had cleaned up his act some.” Stan said as he shut the car off and got ready to leave it, “He had gotten a new girlfriend, the kids friend Tambry, thanks to Mabel apparently and the twins seemed to be good terms with him. Then today Dipper said he was acting like a jerk again and I think I remember Francis saying something yesterday about Robbie dumping Tambry or something like that.”

“Well, let's go and get this done.” Adam said as he followed his uncle up to the door. As they waited he wondered what the couple he was about to meet were gonna be like. When they opened the door he was surprised, he was expecting something akin to the Addison Family and not the Bradley Bunch.

“Why how are you doing Stan?”, Mr Valentino asked as he reached out to take Stan's hand in his. Then he turned to Adam and taking his he said, “And you must be his nephew Adam, we're so sorry at your loss.”

“Thank you, it was a shock to us all.”, Adam said as he looked over the two bubbly seeming morticians.

“We're here to work out the final details for the funeral,” Stan said trying to hurry things up. At his age, one tries to stay out of funeral homes as much as one can. 

“Alright well follow us into the show room and we'll finish working them out,” Mrs. Valentino said as she led the to a room in the left side of the house.

**The Royal Ragtime Theater**

Thompson is sitting in the ticket booth covering for Farley while he was taking his break. As he sat there selling tickets A guy in a white suit walked up to the booth.

“How are today sir? And what movie are you wanting to watch today?”, Thompson said as the gentleman walked up to the window.

“I'm not here to watch a film, I'm here to check out the person with whom my young cousin is wasting her time.”, the gentleman said looking Thompson up and down. 

“You're Alexa's cousin?”, Thompson asked staring at the man in front of him. Besides the white suit he had a white fedora he really couldn't get a clearer view of him. It was as if the sun was too bright in the sky to allow him a good look. 

“The name's Gregor and you will be leaving my cousin alone from now on,” Gregor said before he turned and walked away. 

Farley chose that moment to come back from break. Seeing the look on Thompson's face he asked, “What did I miss bossman?”

Thompson ran out of the ticket booth and tried to find the guy in white, but despite him only leaving seconds ago he was no where to be found. Pulling out his phone he sent a text to Alexa, 'Just got a visit from your cousin Gregor, he tried to tell me to stop seeing you.'

'I'll talk to him. He doesn't believe I can live my own life. He's already tried to get me to quit my job, the dillweed.' Alexa replied.

 **Down Town**

Nate and Lee were laughing as they left the grocery with a few bags of snacks. Lee mainly due to the Nate's embarrassment over the cashier, he thinks her name was Jasmine, asking Nate out. Nate was laughing at himself, mainly due to the fact he hadn't realized that she was in a couple of his classes at school and for being oblivious to the fact she had a thing for him. They had almost made it to the truck when they saw Robbie's new squeeze coming out of the floral shop and cross the street to get into the passenger side of a silver car. They then watched as the car pulled off and drove past them. Lee took a look at the driver, she was a real good looking red head with a short bobbed hair cut and black rimmed glasses. 

“Ok, I still don't know what to make of that chick.”, Lee said he continued to walk to his dad's truck. As he got to his truck he realized Nate wasn't with him. He looked back and saw that Nate had stopped 

“This is hopeless man. I'm not even sure why we're even doing any of this,” Nate said as he stood there, “What's the point. I mean, really what chance do we have?”

“You ok, Nate?”, Lee said as he walked back to his friend.

“No, man. I'm not ok. I'm mean, look at me. I spent most of the school year so far jealous of nearly everyone in the group,” Nate said as Lee started to lead him to the truck, “You all were in relationships and here I had a great looking girl apparently crushing on me and I didn't even notice. I'm pathetic man.”

“Dude, where there heck did this just come from?”, Lee asked as Nate got into the truck.

“What are you talking about, everyone has to know how pathetic I am by now.” Nate said as Lee was getting in the driver side, “I mean Thompson got a girlfriend before I did, that's how pathetic I am man. And now the guys are thinking I could somehow help them with whatever is coming. There's no way man, I'll just end up a hotdog again.” 

“What the heck man,” Lee said as they pulled out and he started for the Shack. The way Nate was acting is weird and if there's one thing he'd learned over the summer it's that the Pines family knows how to deal with the weird

**Mystery Shack**

As Dipper made it to the Parking lot he realized that the Stan-mobile wasn't in the parking lot. Hoping Ford took it out he ran into the Shack as fast as he could. As he came into the Shack he ran headfirst into Soos' gut. 

“Whoa, slow down dood.” Soos said as he took a step back, “Where's the fire? I mean literally where's the fire?”

“No fire Soos, I just need to talk to Grunkle Stan.” Dipper said as he went to get around his friend, “Is he here?”

“He's out with your dad making the final arrangements for the funeral,” Soos said looking over at his agitated friend, “What's wrong, dood?”

“I was in town at the arcade when I met a guy who said we were cousins by marriage or something like that,” Dipper said looking over at the new Mr Mystery. 

“Ok, that must have been Jaime,” Soos said rubbing his chin, “No, Jason. No, Jacques. Wait a minute, it was James. Yeah, that was it.” 

“Ok, how did you know his name?”, Dipper said genuinely confused now. 

“Oh, he and his grandmother came by a few days ago and I learned even more about Mr. Pines life.”, Soos said nonchalantly.

“Ok, we have all this stuff going on and suddenly a woman out of Stan's past comes to town. Does this not bother any one else?”, Dipper said throwing his hands up in the air. 

“Oh, it's just a coincidence Dip.”, Soos said as he straightened his tie. Dipper was about to respond when a two van's full of tourists pulled up. 

Dipper just headed up to his room and pulled out his cork board. Using drawing and pictures he started a new pattern labeled who is the Knight's Mistress. He had a sketch of the White Knight he drew from Wendy's description and under him the various critter's they've faced that he believed were tied to him. Next was the Red Knight, aka Solntse, and he had his Squires under him. He went ahead and put up the name Dr. Nuit with a question mark by it, but didn't connect it to the center yet. The next on the board was Purple Haze Gang, but again he didn't connect their pin to the center yet. Then he added the guy who attacked Wendy the other night, Wendy said his name was Yami, to the board but again didn't connect it to anything. Next up were some of the incidents. The attack on the Unicorn's glade, the basilisk attacks, kidnapping of his dad and grunkles, the attacks by his tormentors, their houses burning down, Patrick and Jacob being attacked, the fight in Piedmont, the tormentors becoming super powered, and hid dad's sleep coma were all connected to the center. Other events like the bank robbery, Robbie's change, his and Mabel's weird anxiety attacks the other day, Grunkle Stan's ex-wife showing up with a grandchild, Nate's weird blood test, the new prophesy, and mom's death were all left unattached currently. As he stood looking at the board he heard a tink, tink sound coming from his window. Walking over to it he saw a fairy standing on the outside window sill. 

He opened up the window and the purple tinted fairy flies in and settles on the end table next to his bed and as he sat on his bed said, “Are you the one called Dipper the Destructor?”

“Yeah, the Manotaurs call me that.” Dipper said as he looked at the little winged humanoid, “May I ask who you are?”

“I'm Tinselwit, but really that's not important. I'm here as an emissary of the creatures of the forest, they seek your council.”, Tinselwit said trying to look as formal as it could in a robe made of lilac petals, “There is a disturbance brewing between the Manotaurs, the gnomes, and the multibear and his new guests.”

“And they want me because?”, Dipper asked incredulously.

“The normal mediator has passed on so a new one was chosen. The Manotaurs asked for you due to your bravery during the Cipher incident, the Multibear agreed due to your friendship, and the gnomes agreed due to your tenacity.”, Tinselwit responded. 

“Am I allowed to bring a few people to help me in my decision?”, Dipper asked mostly due to not wanting to travel the woods alone while the White Knight has a chance of being out there. 

“That should be acceptable, but no more than three advisers.”, Tinselwit replied.

“We'll meet where the creek leaves the small lake near the gnomes' forest in two hours time,” Dipper said solemnly.

“I will pass on your message,” Tinselwit said as it took off and flew out the window. 

Pulling out his phone he sent out a text to Mabel, Pacifica, and Wendy. 'Need you to come to shack, ASAP. Been asked to mediate a woodland dispute and I want backup in case of a trap.'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 43 is in the books. There was a little Mabel and Pacifica bonding. Wildbill making plans to speak to the police. Stan and Adam go to see the Valentinos. We learn Alexa's cousin disapproves of Thompson. Nate has an anxiety attack. Soos verifies what James told Dipper. Dipper starts a new cork board. And finally Dipper is asked to be a mediator in a dispute between several forest creatures. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Six is one of the darkest story I have written for the Gravity Heroes-verse and probably will be for a long time. It's Yami's origin and tells the reason he hates ghosts so much. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The Keeper of Worlds has asked if I could see if anyone would want to do a work up of Yami. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out the full description to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-5 1-6-20-5-18-13-1-20-8 15-6 20-8-5 6-21-14-5-18-1-12 23-9-12-12 2-18-9-14-7 1 14-5-23 20-18-21-20-8 20-15 12-9-7-8-20


	44. Chapter 44

** Chapter 44 **

**Bunker**

Wildbill is sitting at a table with Ford with an empty duffel bag on the floor and the table loaded with weapons.

“There was another fire down in Piedmont. My gym got torched, luckily we had a show tonight so the rings were already out of the building but everything else was toasted.” Wildbill sad looking at his friend's uncle, “I'm planning on teaching the kids how to use these weapons and defend themselves against them also. Based on these model's do you think you and the other science squad members can make some improvements to their designs once I've finished they're training?”

“Once we get done with the Bunker it should be easy,” Ford said picking up various weapons and looking them over. 

“Ok, I've got to go down to Piedmont when Adam goes and have an interview with the arson detective in charge of the investigation.”, Wildbill explained before adding, “Plus I'm gonna keep an eye on Adam to make sure nothing happens to him while he's still down there. I failed Elaine, I'm not gonna fail Adam.” 

“Hmph. You didn't fail Elaine,” Ford said looking at his nephew's friend, “Someone went and took her from Adam and the kids.”

“I know, but I had promised that I would watch over her till she arrived up here.”, Wildbill said as he stood up and started to walk away,”And in that way I have failed.”

**Tambry's Lair**

Tambry sat at her bank of computers and was furiously typing away. She was writing new code to install in the computers once the Bunker was up and running. This program will allow them to run quicker searches through out the various Police and news databases to help identify and quantify the various criminals the group will come across. She has already added the data she knows about the Squires and the Purple Haze Gang in order to give the database a parameters to build the databases around. She had also started to work on a database on her friends powers and abilities, but that one she kept on a flash drive around her neck. 

Tab's icon appeared on the second screen with a word balloon saying, 'Mi'lady, I have finished the database collection of the new powers that have appeared though out the realm.' 

“Good. I'll look at it in a moment,” Tambry said barely looking up from her screen. 

'Your spell work is excellent mi'lady.' Tab said apparently reading the code work on the other screen. 

“I'm just working out code work, there's no spells going on here.” Tambry said trying to work out why Tab was calling this spell work.

'In your world it maybe be code, mi'lady, but in the digital realm it is powerful spell work infused with your own powers.' the new balloon reads. 

That actually caused her to pause in her typing and look over at him. 

'Hey toots, I have some video for you.' Asta's word balloon read.

“Play it,” Tambry said.

'Alright toots.' Asta said.

The screen lit up with a video of what appeared to be a hospital hallway. She recognized one of the nurses in the hall from a picture the twins showed her of their mother. A lady in a white lab coat walked up to her and started talking.

'There is no audio, but among my programs is on that is a lip reading program. The Dr. identifies herself as Nox, which is latin for night. She said she worked at St Brigid's. She also says she is covering for a Dr. Corazon, which according to the police reports I read about the accident was with your friends mother in the crash.' Asta said in her new balloon.

'Are you sure this is the villain?' Tab's balloon asked.

'She only seems to appear to appear when the twins mother is around and there is no record of a Dr. Nox working that night or at St Brigid's. The next time I have found her is in a video from the garage. Her back is to us though so I can't read her lips.' Asta's new balloon said before another video started.

It showed the twins mother standing by a car and suddenly Dr. Nox is behind her. A conversation ensues and then the twins mother drops into Dr. Nox's arms. She then proceeds to place her in the back seat and drives off. 

“So it really was a hinky wreck, she was kidnapped and then killed. Save those videos, the twins will want to see them.”,Tambry said after she watched the videos, “Thank you Asta. You've done me a great favor today.”

'Glad I could help toots, lmk if you need any more help. I'll be around.', Asta's word Balloon said as the dog turned and walked back into the distance.

'I said the lady was good, mi'lady.' Tab's word balloon said. 

“That you did, Tab. That you did,” Tambry said. She then turned and started to write the code again. As she did she thought about what Tab had said about her coding being spells and putting a bit of herself in them. 

**Somewhere else in town**

Blair and the bespectacled redheaded lady entered into her uncle's house after parking the car behind the house. They had already started to redecorate the inside of the house, since her aunt and uncle weren't going to be coming back for a long time. One of the first things she had gotten rid of were those terrible black velvet paintings. She placed several vases of flowers through out the living room and the kitchen. The redhead took a seat in front of the TV and turned it on. 

“Are you sure you want to be rotting your brain with what this town passes off as television programs?”, Blair asked as she walked back into the living room, “As a psychologist you should know that stuff can rot your brain, Charlene.”

“That's just an urban myth, Blair.”, Charlene said looking at the younger woman, “Studies have show that in small amounts television really doesn't do any harm. Plus this Ductective can be funny. Plus you know after I bring forth someone's self doubt I need some sort of entertainment. Keeping your cousin controlled on top of that is exhausting.”

“We were better off keeping him sedated,” Blair said as she sat on the couch.

“Yes, but we needed to get the information he had. And we have to allow him to go back to school next week. Luckily as the school's guidance councilor I'm still be able to 'help' such a troubled student,” Charlene said placing her feet up on the table.

“Soon we'll have what we need then we can blow this hick town. Though some aspects of it have grown on me,” Blair said.

“Really,” Charlene said taking her feet off of the table and leaning forward, “tell me about it.”

“Oh, not much. I may decide to keep Robert around after we leave. He's cleaned up pretty good,” Blair said with a blush as she turned away.

“And you've been telling me to not get to emotionally involved here,” Charlene said with a snicker. 

“I want someone on the inside of his school till we have what we want, I don't want his 'friends' to try to influence him again.” Blair said as she got up and headed in to check on her cousin.

“I know the perfect person, bosslady.”, Charlene as she pulled out her phone. 

“Good,” Blair said as she walked into her cousin's room, “Hello, little cousin. We're right on track. I hope you'll have fun school Monday.”

**Mystery Shack**

Dipper was waiting in his room for Wendy, Mabel, and Pacifica to arrive. Wendy was out at the lake with her family when she got the text. She was breaking off from them as soon as she could. Mabel and Pacifica were just finishing up a project should be here momentarily. 

“Hey Dipper, two of your friends are down here.”, Melody yelled up from the bottom of the stairs. 

“Send them up,” Dipper said. Anyone who'd come visit him here already knows most of the what's going on. It's not like he knows that many outside their circle of friends. He opened up his door and saw Lee practically carrying Nate up the stairs. Rushing over he shifted into his shifter size and helped get him into the room.

“There's really no point in helping me guys, I'm just a worthless loser. I couldn't even tell my best friend I had about a crush I had earlier in the year, cause I knew he thought I was a loser and would make fun of me.”, Nate said burying his head in Dipper's pillow as soon as he was placed on the bed.

Dipper turned to Lee and asked, “What happened to him?”

“I dunno man. We had just left the grocery store where he had gotten asked out by the cashier,” Lee replied looking over at Nate falling apart.

“The one who used to work at the Summerween store?”, Dipper asked remember she worked at the grocery store now.

“Yeah, I think her name's Jasmine. We were laughing about how he hadn't realized she liked him all fall when we saw Robbie's new girl and after she got in a car and drove off he just broke down like this, it's been getting worse as we went along.”, Lee said 

“What else was going on around you guys at that point?”, Dipper asked as he tried to work out what had happened.

“Really, that was all I remember, Blair getting in a car with a good looking redhead and driving off.”, Lee said as he went and sat down by his friend. 

Suddenly there was a golden glow coming out of the corner of the room, Mabel and Pacifica appeared out of the glow. Mabel was wearing a pink sweater that had the word She's, a left facing arrow, and finally the word Girl all in purple on it. Pacifica's sweater was purple and had the word My, a right facing arrow, and finally the word Friend in pink on it. 

“Whoa cool,” Lee said as saw them appear, “Nice sweaters girls.”

“Dip, you could've told us we had company.”, Mabel said. 

“Why worry about it, I'm not worth the time it'd take for him to tell you,” Nate said with his head still buried in the pillow.

She looked over and saw the Nate's condition she rushed over to him and asked, “Lee what happened?”

Lee explained it again as Pacifica walked over and put a hand on Mabel's shoulder. Dipper had pulled out the Journal binder and began searching through it. Knowing he was on a time constriction he skimmed as fast as he could. 

“This is actually sounding like a worse version of what hit me and Dipper Monday morning,” Mabel said as Lee finished the story, “If it hadn't been for Pacifica, I'd probably gotten worse as the day went on.”

“And I started feeling better once Wendy found me,” Dipper said as he thought about what Mabel had said. 

“That's all good, but Nate doesn't have anyone special like that right now.”, Lee said after thinking about what the twins were saying, “Yeah, he just got asked out but they haven't even went on a date yet.”

“Hey Mabs, is there any chance that this is a spell?”, Pacifica asked looking over at Nate. 

“I'm not sure, I can't think of any right now. But if it is, I may have one that might work to help him.”, Mabel said as she looked deep in thought for a few moments before she intoned and placed her hand on the back of Nate's head, “Kilgvxgrmt Gsv Nrmw!” 

A warm glow emanated from Mabel's hand, As the glow faded she moved back and Nate seemed to calm down.

Looking up from the pillow Nate realized what he had been doing and suddenly got off of the bed as fast as he could and said, “Alright none of you saw that.”

“Whatever, man. Something got you, that wasn't natural.”, Lee said looking at his friend, “You were happy as heck after getting a date for next weekend and then blam you fell to pieces man.”

“What did you do to me, Mabel?”, Nate said as he was still getting situated. 

“I blocked your mind from outside influences, Basically if whatever was causing your hassles was a spell or telepathic in nature I snipped their cord,” Mabel said bluntly. Then she leaned in and gave him a friendly hug before she said, “You may be disoriented for a bit though, I'd have Lee take you home and either take a nap or zone out with some TV.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Nate said leaning on Lee as they headed out of the room and down the stairs. 

Once they were all the way down Dipper said, “You can come on out now, Wendy.”

 _“Ok, dude.”,_ Will O' said as she faded into view, _“I really didn't want to add to his problems, he had it pretty bad.”_

She willed he ax away and reverted back to normal. She walked over to Dipper and hugged him and said, “So what did you need us for exactly?” 

“Well there is some kind of disturbance going on between the Manotaurs, the Gnomes, and Multibear, who has apparently taken in somebody.”, Dipper said as he looked at the three of them, “And with everything that has been going on I'd rather not take any chances of there being a trap. What with the woods being the last place any of us saw the White Knight. They only allowed me three advisers or I'd have gotten the guys also”

“Do I need to get go as Charger?”, Pacifica asked as she pulled out her keyfob.

“Not yet, I'm hoping this will just be me telling them to stop acting like babies and to get along.”, Dipper said grabbing bot his binder and the size changing flashlight to be safe before asking Mabel, “Do you remember where the creak that leaves the small lake by the gnome forest is at?”

“Yeah,” Mabel replied after thinking about it. 

“That's where we're meeting them. I want to get there early so we,” Dipper said as he pointed between him and Wendy, “can scope out the lay of the land. Normally we wouldn't be able to get there to quick, but...” 

“Since I know where we're going, I can port us there.”, Mabel said finishing his thought. 

“Exactly. Just to be safe though, Wendy do you have your hatchet? Mabel your Grappling hook?” Dipper asked and once he got a nod from them, “and I already know you have your keyfob if we need a heavy hitter, Paz.”

“Alright man, let's get going.”, Wendy said looking over at Mabel. 

“Tzgv Lu Gizevo!,” Mabel called out and they were enveloped in the familiar golden glow.

**Bunker**

“Well that seems to be the last bedroom. Should we go find Grandpa Ford to see what we need to help with next?”, Francis asked as he walked away from the last tunnel. They had installed two room in this tunnel by digging out segments from the walls and placing the boxes in them before they expanded them.

“Nah, let's go on in and claim our rooms.”, Tony said figuring they would go ahead and take these two rooms and he wanted to start making his hit his look. 

“Alright, I guess that's ok. We do deserve a break,” Francis agreed, rationalizing it. 

**Creek out in the woods**

As the air glowed the four appeared on the bank of the creak, right near the mouth of the small lake. Pacifica stayed on the bank they appeared on while Mabel and Dipper crossed the creek to the other side. Dipper headed into the woods and began looking for any signs that there was a trap. Wendy checked the side they had landed on. After a good twenty minutes of searching they all reconvened where they had left Pacifica.

“Alright the woods to the left are clear,” Dipper said.

“The right also, but we're gonna have visitors soon.”, Wendy said as she looked back towards the woods.

“Shmebulok,” Shmebulok said sticking his head out of the underbrush. He is quickly followed by Geoff and a few other gnomes.

“Destructor, my friend.” Chutzpar said as he and Beardy came from the woods Dipper had checked. 

“Well, We're waiting on just one more group and we can get this started.” Dipper said looking around at the two groups that had arrived.

Geoff started to walk up to Mabel and waggling his eyebrows said, “So, have you given any more thought to our proposal?”

“Read the sweaters, conehead.”, Pacifica said as she stood next to Mabel.

“Oh, would that make it a two for one deal?”, Geoff said after he figured out what the sweaters combined said.

“Just give me a reason to get the leaf blower,” Mabel threatened.

“Calm down,” Dipper said getting in between Geoff and Mabel, “we're hear to stop a dispute, not start one.”

“That sounds right, Friend Dipper.”, the flowing voice of Multibear said as he arrived along with Celestabellebethabelle and several disembodied hands.

“Good to see you're well, but why are they with you?”, Dipper asked Multibear.

“The person with whom they were staying, the previous mediator to be exact, was slain sometime last Saturday.”, Multibear said.

“It was sometime after you left,” Celestabellebethabelle said looking straight at Mabel, “Lotte or as you knew her, the Handwitch, had sent me to deliver a message to our friend here and when I returned she was gone and the cave had been trashed. The hands were surrounding the fire place and I found the talisman she used in place of a wand on the ground by the fireplace.”

Mabel stood there in shock, now not only has her mother died but the person who chose her to be the bearer of her abilities was gone also. She gripped Pacifica's hand tightly on reflex. She watched as the hands slowly lowered themselves to the ground and skittered over to her. 

“What are these things?”, Pacifica said looking at the hands that have surrounded the two of them.

“They were the friends or pets, I'm not really sure which, of the lady who taught me my abilities.”, Mabel said bending over to take one off of the ground and placing it on her shoulder. 

“Alright, well let's get on with this,” Dipper said after taking in the news, “I'll start with you Chutzpar, what is your issue?”

“We believe that the Multibear is responsible for the disappearance of Testosteraur, who has been missing since a week ago Friday.”, Chutzpar called out pointing a finger at the Multibear.

“That issue I can end without any rebuttal needed,” Dipper said looking straight at Chutzpar before continuing, “Testosteraur has been with me and my family since last Saturday afternoon. He was abducted by a man in all white and was placed in a cursed labyrinth and forced to fight Wendy and myself. We saved his life and were able to rescue him from the labyrinth. For this he has sworn an oath of honor to the two of us and has been helping us since then. If you wish I will try to arrange a meeting between him and a representative to prove he is in good health.”

“He has been with you for that long and has not tried to contact us, his brethren?”, Beardy asked looking Dipper over as if he just met him.

“I swear on the forty-nine trials I completed, that he is in good health.”, Dipper said solemnly.

“We shall take that on your word,” Chutzpar said looking at the young man who once asked him to train him in being a man and whom he now feels has earned that title on his own.

“And now what is your problem?”, Dipper asked turning to Geoff and the gnomes.

“We have been searching for the satyr named Nigel, we believe he is responsible for the destruction of the Unicorn's glade.”, Geoff said, “and the near destruction of Gnasty's. And we believe one of these two are hiding him from us.”

“I have told you several times before that Nigel did not sell us out, nor did he attack us.” Celestabellebethabelle said stomping her front hoof, “We were attacked by a man in white...” 

“Are you saying that the man who kidnapped our brother is also responsible for the destruction of your glade?”, Chutzpar asked looking at Celestabellebethabelle.

“We believe so,” Dipper answered before Celestabellebethabelle could. As serious as he could he continued, “We have been searching for him and another dressed in red, they call them selves Knights but they have no honor that I can tell. They work for someone they call their Mistress and have attacked us on more than one occasion. We also think they may be responsible for the death of our mother.”

“Destructor, we didn't know.”, Chutzpar said.

“Friend Dipper I'm so sorry.”, Multibear said placing a paw on Dipper's shoulder.

“Ok, that sucks.”, Geoff added.

“Shmebulok,” Shmebulok said bowing his head.

“Sorry to hear of your loss,” Celestabellebethabelle neighed. 

“Thank you everyone,” Dipper said as he looked at the surrounding groups, “We will keep our eyes out for this Nigel, you said he's a satyr right?”

“Yes, he was one of the best information brokers in the forest.”, Geoff said.

“He also was one of the beings that could procure human items we forest denizens required,” Multibear added. 

“Ok like I said we'll keep and eye out for him in our travels,” Dipper swore. He looked at everyone and asked, “Is there any other business today?”

Wendy watched as they all seemed to look at each other. She kept her arms crossed as an intimidation move and it seemed to work on the Gnomes and Celestabellebethabelle at least. 

Pacifica still trying to figure out the hands but they were no longer bothering her, they were just another bit of weirdness that surrounds Gravity Falls. 

Mabel was still reeling form the loss of Lotte. She had planned on visiting her soon to try and learn more about her magic, but now that is out of the question. 

Seeing there was no more accusations coming, Dipper looked at the three groups and said. “Ok, since that seems to be everything I'm calling this meeting over. And due to my own busy schedule, I will be appointing a mediator to work in my stead. I will still come and settle the biggest items, but my appointee will handle most disputes. I will think about it over the week and name them next Saturday. Dismissed.” 

Dipper walked over and shook Multibears paw, Chutzpar and Beardy's hands, and Shmebulok's hand. He then returned to the girl's and watched as everybody disbursed. Once they were gone he left out a tense breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. He looked at his sister and said, “Let's go home.” 

“Tzgv Lu Gizevo!,” Mabel intoned and shortly they were enveloped in the familiar golden glow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 44 is now done. I do hope everyone likes the chapter. I'm starting to tie up some loose ends and preparing more to come together. We got Wildbill and Ford having a talk. Tambry learned a little more about her powers. She also got the some more info on the emerging powers and the video's of some of Elaine's last day. We learned some more about Blair and her motives. Dipper and Mabel helped out Nate. We saw Mabel and Pacifica's sweaters. Tony and Francis chose their rooms in the Bunker. And Dipper went through his first mediation where they learned and shared information with some of the forest denizens. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Six is one of the darkest story I have written for the Gravity Heroes-verse and probably will be for a long time. It's Yami's origin and tells the reason he hates ghosts so much. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The Keeper of Worlds has asked if I could see if anyone would want to do a work up of Yami. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out the full description to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 13-21-12-20-9-16-12-5 8-5-1-4-19 1-14-4 10-21-19-20 15-14-5 13-9-14-4, 20-8-5 4-5-3-9-19-9-15-14-19 23-9-12-12 2-5 13-1-4-5.


	45. Chapter 45

** Chapter 45 **

**Bunker**

Ford was walking around both inspecting the placement of the new bedrooms but also looking for the Clondike twins. He had just received a notice on his phone that their blood work was finished and he wanted to share the information with them. He knocked at each of the new bedrooms and when he didn't get an answer he opened them to see if they were there. When he got to the final two rooms he knock and Francis answered. 

“Where's your brother,” Ford asked when Francis came into view.

“Across the hall. What's up?”, Francis asked. 

“I'll tell you once we get your brother,” Ford replied as he walked over to the other door and knocked.

The door opened and Tony said while still looking the other way, “Com'on Francis, wait a bit. I'm still trying to figure out where I'm putting the weight bag.”

Ford replied, “It'd probably be best in this front corner.”

“Good idea Francis, that's where I was thinking of putting it.”, Tony said before he realized it wasn't Francis speaking. He turned quickly and added, “Aw man, I'm sorry Ford. I didn't mean to mistake you for Francis.”

“It's no problem, I need the two of you to come with to my lab. The results are back on your blood tests.”, Ford said as he started to head towards the tunnel that leads to the bottomless pit. About forty-five feet from the end of the tunnel Ford put his hand on the wall and it slid back to reveal another tunnel. They headed down this tunnel and when they stepped out they were in Ford's laboratory. 

“Whoa, how long has that tunnel been here?”, Tony asked Ford as the door they came through sealed shut seamlessly. 

“Around thirty-two years give or take a year, but that's not important.”, Ford said as he walked over to the print out of the DNA results, “What's important is these results. I've ran the test multiple times and well, you two may have started out as clones of Dipper but you DNA says different. You two share more of a familial match with Stan and I than with the twins or Adam. There is no trace of the Wallace DNA traits at all.” 

“Wait, what?”, Tony said disbelievingly.

“Let me see that,” Francis asked taking the print out from Ford.

“The way it reads, you two could literally be my grandsons.”, Ford said, “I have no idea how this could have happened though.” 

“Ok, ok. So biologically we really could be your grandsons?”, Tony asked still trying to wrap his mind around the information.

“That's what these test results say,” Francis said handing over the papers to Tony.

Taking on look at the paperwork Tony handed it back and said, “Whoa, there. Yeah, I may be smart but really I don't get this scientific stuff. I'll leave it to you two, Candy, Fiddleford, and Dipper. Math and architecture's more my thing.”

“Architecture? Since when?”, Francis asked as this was the first he's heard of it.

“Well really since we've been helping out with the Bunker. I've been reading some in my spare time on ways we could help improve and stabilize the tunnels, it's really caught my interest.”, Tony said slyly, “It doesn't hurt studying the way the structures are built and other aspects of the designs can help me with my Parkour.” 

“Of course,” Francis said looking over at his twin. 

**Valentino's Mortuary**

Stan, Adam, and Greg Valentino were sitting at a table in one of the off rooms having discussed what her life insurance covered and working out arrangements for the funeral on Sunday. 

“Ok, so it'll be a closed casket service with the family and friend's in town attending?”, Greg asked as he finished out the paperwork.

“Yes, I'm going to hold a memorial down in Piedmont for her coworkers and our neighbors.” Adam explained, “That way they don't have to travel that far.”

“Why, That sounds nice.”, Janice Valentino said as she brought in a picture of tea. “And very thoughtful of you.”

“Thanks,” Stan said as she poured him a cup of the tea.

“Well we're moving on up here after I give my two weeks notice and get everything packed up,” Adam explained, “The kids and I don't think we can live down there anymore and with how happy they are up here, we thought we'd get a new start up here.”

“Good, good.”, Janice replied as she sat down at the table “And now back to business, you were saying you needed someone to perform the service.”

“Yes, with us being fairly new we don't have anyone other than Stan here to lead the service. And I don't want him breaking down in the middle of the service,” Adam said looking over at his Uncle.

“Well she was a good woman kiddo. And she always did right by you.” Stan said solemnly.

“Alright I'll offer my services then, I'll need to get some more information from you.” Janice said pulling out a notepad from a drawer built into the table. 

**Tambry's Lair**

After she finished the basic layers of the code she was writing, Tambry took a break and was reading over some responses posted on her last blog post. She also noticed she had lost a follower, Stitchedhart7. It didn't really surprise her though. But he hadn't left without a parting message.

'Really, you kept leaving me to go be with lumberqueen and dipstick. And you wonder why I broke it off with you. You should've known it was over when you and my so called “druz'ya” rushed to help them out with no thought to the plans we ALL had for the day. Well it turned out to be a good thing on my behalf, I ran into the beautiful and sweet molodaya ledi who appreciates my musical talent. We began talking and she helped me realize I was just wasting my time with you. She has also helped me understand that I was just trying to hide the real me inside the shell that everyone saw. Maybe if you had looked harder you would have found it and this would have never happened, you could have been my Dama. So go be with that little punk who is nothing but an idiotic varvar.' - Stitchedhart7 {Gravity Falls, OR} (No longer a member of this service)

She teared up a little at this, but she really wondered about some of the words he used. Deciding to figure it out later she kept reading the rest of the responses. 

'Wish I had been there, that jerk would've been a puddle of goo for hurting a sweetheart like you.' - Muscle Man222 {Miami, FL}

'Whoa, a knight in shining armor. How romantic. Age isn't nothing but a number, grab him up honey.' - Cataholic Piemaker {Gravity Falls, OR}

'Watch out for “Young Gentlemen”, most of the time they only want one thing.' - Wiseone0199 {Birmingham, UK} 

'Stitchedhart7, you sound like an idiot yourself. What in the world are you even saying man? And to leave Streak Of Purple that way, that was cold. It's sounds like you didn't even try to talk to her about these issues you seemed to have. You sir are scum.' - Friendofafriend71 {Nepal, India} 

'Sorry about your ex, sounds like it was coming. And he even changed himself for her. Glad you slapped the taste out of the man stealer.' -Tengu Chan {Osaka, Japan}

'Still sorry to hear about the death of your BFF's BF's mother. I send condolences. Recently lost my sister. Ex is a jerk. Talk to the cousin, he may be a good guy.' - Closet Otaku {Nagoya, Japan}

'So you can't even keep a guy your own age, what a loser.' - Queen O'Mean {Shelton, CT}

'Tell that punk, Stitchedhart7, we'll be watching for him to mess up.' - SB&DD4evr {Gravity Falls, OR}

'Tell the Stitchedhart7 that he better hope we don't find him, you're family. And we still owe him for sis too.' - 3plaidlads {Gravity Falls, OR}

“Queen O'Mean, that was highly unfitting for someone who claims that the title of queen. You didst besmirch a lady fair for your amusement. For shame.' Tab {Wherever My Travels Take Me} 

She would've kept reading but she received a text from Thompson, 'Hey Tambs. Could you try to find out anything on Alexa's cousin. He came by the theater to tell me to stop seeing her. Real jerk. Name is Gregor, not sure on the last name. Don't think there should be too many in town with that first name though. Thx.'

'I'll see what I can come up with. You two still together though right? You're a cute couple and good together.' - Tambry

'Yeah, she says he's being a jerk. Tried to get her to quit Beeblyboop's Videogames, too. Glad she's her own person.' - Thompson 

“Hey Tab. I'm getting ready to do a search in the town's residential listings, cover for me and make sure no one notices I'm in there please.”, She said to her second screen.

He walked into view and a word balloon popped up, 'My pleasure mi'lady. But with this town's defenses it should be no problem for you.'

“Welp, here I go.”, Tambry said as she started to hack the town's computer system.

**Mystery Shack  
Twin's Room**

The golden glow appears as the two couples return to the room. Mabel walked over to her bed and sat down. She barely even noticed the hand that was on her shoulder crawl down and sit on her pillow. Pacifica sat beside her and held her hand. Dipper walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder while Wendy stood next to him with her hand on his shoulder.

“I was meaning to go visit her, but with all the hassles we've had this week I never got the chance. I wanted to learn more from her. I mean I gained all of the knowledge of my predecessors, but knowledge with out insight can be dangerous.” Mabel said looking no where really. She was aware that the others were there, but they weren't completely to her. “And now I need to go care for her cave, it was her home. I need to go arrange it again. I need to make sure that Palmer here doesn't have anymore siblings there.” 

“Palmer?”, Pacifica asked but she realized she wasn't heard. Mabel had seemingly zoned out.

'Mabel my child, I am glad you have finally sought out my assistance.', a voice only Mabel seems able to hear. Slowly walking into her line of sight Mabel sees the Hand Witch, no Lotte, walk into view. As she does the rooms fade from existence, she is in her full Glamur outfit while she walks into a glade with a magnificent waterfall and stream flowing through it. In her memory she recognized the place but she knows she has never been to the location in her lifetime. 

“Lotte, why are you just now coming to me?”, Mabel asked as she walked over to the woman who chose her to be the Guardian of Gaea’s Blessing, and the Master of the Mystical Ways.

“You were just now open to me, until now you have been closed off.”, Lotte said as she bent down to look at her reflection in the water, “Until you opened the way, I could not come to you.”

“I'm so sorry I wasn't there to defend you,” Mabel said repentantly, “I'll Try to take care of Palmer and his friends.”

“My child it was not your fault, your were still too new at your powers. Morrighan would have destroyed you and taken the Tome and the Unicursal Shooting Star,” Lotte said as she as appeared next to her and stroked Mabel's hair, “And as for Palmer he will be safe with you, but the rest are better left in the care of Multibear and Celestabellebethabelle. I think any more would, as they say, Freak out your companion.”

“You're probably right on that,” Mabel said with chuckle, then she asked as looked towards her mentor. “Who is Morrighan?”

“She is a fellow witch who joined my coven many years ago looking for a way to help some one who she loved dearly, along the way her search took her down a dark path from which she has never returned.”, Lotte explained as she now stood across the creek from Mabel. 

“So how will I know her, if she comes looking for me?”, Mabel asked.

“She will reveal herself to you in time,” Lotte said from the top of the waterfalls, “My time with you is short my child. I know that you and all of your family will strive to make the world a better place, but the road ahead is treacherous. Be safe.”

“Mabel? Are you ok?”, Mabel hears someone cry as she is being shaken back to consciousness and the world around fades out of sight. 

“Mabel, where were you?” Dipper asked as he came partially in to view because Pacifica was hugging her so much half her face was covered in her hair. 

“I was in a valley far away, Lotte was there. She told me warned me about that lady who killed her may be after my Tome and Necklace.”, Mabel said after kissing Pacifica on the forehead as she pulled away. 

“Whoa, man. That's heavy,” Wendy said looking down at her friend.

“So we have yet another enemy, it must be Saturday.”, Dipper said with a sarcastic smirk.

With that remark Mabel burst out laughing and slowly the others joined in. 

**Nate's house**

“Man, I have no idea what happened back there.”, Nate said as he walked in and sat down in the recliner, “I know they said I should get some sleep, but really not up to it. You wanna play some Retro Pro Wrestling or another game?” 

“I dunno, what you got to eat?”, Lee asked as he took the bags from the store into the kitchen. 

“There's some of the curried potatoes and turkey in the fridge. Plus the stuff we bought earlier,” Nate said as he got up to head into the game room, and sat down on the couch. 

Lee came in with a turkey sandwich and a bag of chips to find Nate asleep. He pulled the comforter off the back of the couch and dropped it over his friend and left.

**A little shack somewhere in the woods**

The three Knights are standing looking at the chair sitting next to a mortar and pestle. Along the walls the statuary was still in place in the background you could here the gentle quacking of a baby duck as it sat on a rabbit skin inside a large dog cage. 

“Well my knights, soon you will be able to once again cause trouble for the gathered,” the metallic voice intoned, “Polden' Solntse, my Red Knight, your enemy and the twins father will soon be returning to Piedmont. I wish for you to go down and cause them some trouble, but I want them to live. Remember that, you have already tried my patience once.”

“Yes my Mistress. They will know that it is best that they are to return to Gravity Falls,” Polden' Solntse said in response as he knelt, “And I will make sure they suffer no harm in the mean time. Until I return I will leave my Squires in Rassvet's care.”

“Rassvet, my White Knight, there is a certain statue in the forest I wish to add to my collection.” the Mistress said sounding like a knife going through an aluminum wall, “It is of an old friend of both myself and the Pines family. It currently has an agreement with another pantheon that I wish to see go unfulfilled. It is too chaotic to ever be released again, I will banish it if it comes to it..” 

“Yes Mistress, I shall go with a few underlings to take care of it on the morrow as we know the Gathered will be busy.”, Rassvet said as he bowed to his Mistress. 

“And Noch', my Black Knight, you shall prepare to send in agents to watch over the Gathered at the schools.”, The metallic Voice of their Mistress grated, “We shall not attack till they are free of their scholastic obligations, so the weekend will be our next challenge for them.”

“They are already in place, I enrolled them in the schools as soon as we moved into the town. The Guild is seen as my own family, my husband is ready to move at any notice Mistress.”, Noch' said as she also knelt to her Mistress.

“Good,” the metallic voice said as a hand with metal nails reached over to grab a hold of the pestle, “The Gathered need to be tested to make sure they are ready for the changes the world is undergoing.” 

**Mystery Shack**

Melody was closing up the Shack as the last tour group of the day had just left. Stan and Adam had returned about an hour ago and were cooking dinner while Wildbill was reading a copy of the Gravity Falls Gossiper. Dipper, Wendy, Mabel, and Pacifica had just came downstairs and were heading into the kitchen to get some food when they saw Soos was standing nervously behind Melody. Stopping to see what was going on they watched as Soos took Melody's hand after she turned around.

“Soos, what's going on?”, Melody asked as she looked him in the eyes.

“Melody. I know we've only been together for a few months, but those months have been the happiest of my life.” Soos said as he reached into the pocket of his Mr. Mystery jacket and pulled out a small object. He then bent down on one knee and continued, “And I want them to continue for as long as possible. And if the recent events have taught me anything, it's life is too short. What I'm asking is if you would marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 45 is in the books. I know, I know I'm leaving you on a cliff hanger. We've had many revelations in this chapter. Ford has his own entrance into the Bunker. The Clondike twins are not as identical clones of Dipper as everyone thought. The funeral for Elaine will not be the only service as Adam is having a memorial in Piedmont. Janice Valentino is going lead the service. Robbie has responded to Tambry's blog. Several of her followers have also responded. Thompson asked her for help. Mabel has a new friend/pet, Palmer. She also got too see Lotte. She learned on Morrighan. The Knight received some new orders and their Mistress has said she is only testing the Gravity Heroes. And finally Soos popped the question, I nearly did that one in a Sidetracks but thought it was important enough to include in the main storyline. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ) 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Six is one of the darkest story I have written for the Gravity Heroes-verse and probably will be for a long time. It's Yami's origin and tells the reason he hates ghosts so much. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The Keeper of Worlds has asked if I could see if anyone would want to do a work up of Yami. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out the full description to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 4-1-23-12'19 18-1-25-19, 14-15-15-14'19 19-17-21-9-5-19, 1-14-4 14-9-7-8-20'19 7-21-9-12-4 19-8-1-12-12 19-15-15-14 3-15-13-5 20-15 20-8-5 6-15-18-4 6-18-15-14-20.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

“Melody. I know we've only been together for a few months, but those months have been the happiest of my life.” Soos said as he reached into the pocket of his Mr. Mystery jacket and pulled out a small object. He then bent down on one knee and continued, “And I want them to continue for as long as possible. And if the recent events have taught me anything, it's life is too short. What I'm asking is if you would marry me?”

The twins and their respective significant others stood there with baited breathe while watching this tender moment between their friends. Dipper, Wendy, & Pacifica all clamped their hands over Mabel's mouth as soon as Soos had started talking to keep her from going into one of her famous squeals of happiness. All four of them had there eyes glued to Melody 

“Soos, I really don't know what to say.”, Melody said looking at her boyfriend down on one knee. 

“Well, hopefully you'll say yes.”, Soos said looking at her.

Mabel was now almost fight the other three to let out the squeal. Dipper's hand which was on the bottom was now being licked so hard he was fighting the instinct to remove his hand. 

“Soos, yes. I'll marry you,” Melody said as she tackled him to the ground.

“Sqquueeeeeee, youguysaregonnahavethebestwedding!”, Mabel said breaking free of the others. Dipper was wiping his soaked hand off on his pants as the girls ran over to hug the couple.

Adam, Wildbill, and finally Stan ran in from the kitchen upon hearing the noise. Wildbill had his pistol out in-case they were under attack. Shortly afterwords the vending machine swung open with Tony rushing out, followed by Ford holding his raygun, and Francis in obsidian form. Valerie and Waddles with Palmer on his back even came down after the squeal. 

“What's going on here?” Stan and Ford asked at the same time. 

“Soos and Melody are...” Mabel started before Dipper slapped his hand over her mouth again. 

“Let them tell it,” Dipper said to his twin. 

“Mmmkkk,” Mabel murmured through his hand.

“You two better tell them before I remove my hand,” Dipper said to Soos and Melody with a wink. 

“Right,” Melody said as she was getting up off of Soos. 

“Uhm, yeah dood. Mr. Pineses,” Soos said as he grabbed the box while getting up off of the floor. Opening it up he pulled the ring out and placed it on her hand before he continued, “We're engaged.” 

“Congrats,” everyone said or at least variations of it. Francis had powered down and the guns were put away. 

Stan and Ford pulled Soos into a big group hug while the girls all went over to admire the ring.

 **Tambry's Lair**

Leaning over her keyboard Tambry was flying through the town's records almost faster than she could type. So far the only name close to Gregor she found was Robbie's dad, Gregory Valentino. She was glad she had Tab watching her back, like he said this should be easy work but something was feeling off about this whole deal. Pulling up Alexa's school records, she was surprised to see her full name was Alexandria Romanov Caulder. Working backwards from there she found out that Alexa's father had died almost fourteen years ago in a boating accident in Canada and her mother is currently working for a governmental research program studying tectonic fault-lines on the sea floor. She has been at sea nearly three years and left her daughter in the care of an uncle Karl Tsergov, who owned a furniture store just outside of the town limits, really out side of the valley to be precise. And that was where the information ran dry. 

“Ok, this is weird.”, Tambry said out loud.

'What doth seem to be the problem, mi'lady?' Tab's word balloon read.

“I'm not finding anything on Alexa's cousin, as in there is no record so far that she has a cousin with the name Gregor. The only family I can find for her is her mother, her dead father, and an uncle with no kids.”, Tambry said to the Tab.

'Mi'lady you doth need to disconnect, something is attempting to track your whereabouts. Sever your connection post haste!' Tab's balloon said flashing red.

She quickly unplugged the computer having saved her progress before uttering her frustrations. Right now she was worried about her new friend.

A few moments her phone received a text from an unknown number that read, 'Hey toots, Tab asked me to let ya know he's leading a goose chase while a friend is backtracking them. Fancy pants is one of the fastest totems around so he should be safe. Asta'

'Good,' She thought as she now planned on upgrading all of her firewalls and protection programs to prevent this from happening again. Then again, she's hacked several state and federal governmental sites before and never had any problems. There is no way a simple search in some Gravity Falls systems should have caused this type of problems. She had stayed on the dark part of the web where she had many different names. Luckily she had already been bouncing her hacking through several servers around the world, so it shouldn't be able to be traced to her. It also had given her more time to cover her trail. 

She called Thompson to give him the info verbally and to remind him about the twins' mother's funeral tomorrow. She also remembered she needed to give them the flash with the video's on them. 

**Greasy's Diner**

Sitting in a corner booth eating a burger and fries the man known as Toot-toot was watching the people around him. He was still undecided on if he was going to stay much longer in the town. He still had most of the money that was left for him. He had been staying at the shack in the junkyard and found it to be remarkably comfortable, but something has felt off about the town this last week or so. 

“Maybe I should head towards New Orleans or maybe Kentucky, a banjo player can usually find a gig in those areas pretty easy.”, he said to no one in particular. 

As he sat there the feeling of foreboding started to wash over him, it came to the forefront when an older lady and a teenager came into the restaurant. He vaguely remembered them apparently checking in to the motel the day before he checked out. It was around that time the everything started to feel off. He actually checked out fifteen days early from the motel due to the feeling. Motioning for the waitress he asked for his bill and a to go box. Once he got both he paid for his food and left in a hurry. He made up his mind, he was on the next bus out of town. He didn't know where yet, but he wasn't staying in Gravity Falls. 

**Marley's Candy Shoppe**

Grenda and Candy were walking around the store like, well, two kids in a candy store. They knew tomorrow was the funeral so they had decided to pool some money together and pick up some sweets for the twins to help them through the rough day. So far they had grabbed some jelly beans for Dipper and some gummy koalas for Mabel. While looking around behind one of the shelves, they heard the bell chime as the front door opened. 

“Wha, what do you want?”, they heard ol man Marley ask. 

Peeking around the corner of the shelf that was hiding them the saw a man in what looked like a white old school union suit, black derby hat, a black belt and black and white wing tip shoes. His face was pale with unnaturally circular rosy red cheeks like you would have seen on an old doll. And to add to the weirdness he was carrying a giant peppermint lollipop that he seemed to use as some type of cane, holding it just below the head. 

“Why my dear sir, I want what any sugar loving freak wants. I want your candy, all of your candy. Well actually just the good stuff, leave the licorice and the ribbon candy alone.”, the weird man said as he produced a giant bag. 

“We need to do something,” Grenda whispered to Candy. As Candy nodded, Grenda put on the aviator goggles she's kept with her ever since Weirdmageddon and grabbed two of the foot long peppermint sticks you usually can only around the months leading to Christmas. Candy reached into her backpack and pulled out a prototype smaller version of Ford's shock glove she had been working on to give to Mabel in-case she needed to rely on something other than her magic. Right now it only held enough power for three or four hits so hopefully she won't need any more than that. 

“Why should I give you anything?”, ol man Marley asked.

“Why, the Candyman said he wanted your candy.”, the Candyman said, “And if you think I won't use force to get what I want, well the Candyman can!”

And with that he brought the lollipop down hard on the old fashioned cash register ol man Marley used in the store crushing it. Ol man Marley began to pull the candy canisters off of the wall behind the counter and started dumping them into the bag. The Candyman still had his back to the girls as they slipped out from behind the shelf, ol man Marley saw them as he turned around. When he saw the old mans face the Candyman turned in time to see Grenda charging at him full tilt with an unintelligible battlecry coming from her. 

Whirling around the lollipop as if the giant head on it weighed nothing he swung the base of the lollipop handle towards her face. Grenda blocked the swing with one of the peppermint sticks and with the weird strength she has always seemed to have, she hit his hand with the other stick. Hearing a pop that she couldn't tell if it came from his hand or her stick, she pulled back to attempt another swing but he had other ideas. Grabbing the lollipop as it fell from his hand he dropped low and swung the flat of the head towards her, she was saved by Candy pulling her backwards. The head hit the counter and caused a big crack in the wood. 

Using a variation of a move the two had perfected for the emergency backpack travel, Candy climbed up Grenda's back and jumped toward the Candyman. Seeing this he caught her foot and slammed her into the ground.

“Candy!”, Grenda yelled as she ran at him again swinging the peppermint sticks wildly as she tried to get to her friend.

As he blocked every swing the villain said, “You'll have to do better than that girly to hit the Candyman.”

“Oh, I wasn't trying to hit you, I was just the distraction.”, Grenda said as Candy sat up and slammed the fully charged glove into the Candyman's stomach sending nearly 2000 volts of electricity through his body. He flew backwards and slammed into the store's wooden door unconscious. They looked over and saw ol man Marley was already on the phone with the Sheriff's office. 

By the time Deputy Maloney arrived the girls had him on his stomach with his hands tied behind his back with red licorice rope and Candy had put the glove back into her backpack. Once the Candyman was safely handcuffed in the Deputy's cruiser and they had given a statement omitting the shock glove, they went to pay ol man Marley for the candy they were getting for the twins.

“How much do we owe you?”, Grenda asked after she had placed the bags of candy and the two peppermint sticks on the counter.

Ol man Marley smiled and said, “It's on the house.”

“Thank you,” Candy said after hearing this. The girls grabbed the candy and started to head out of the store. 

“No, thank you.”, ol man Marley said as they left.

**Valentino Mortuary Sunday November 25th, 2012 12:30 PM**

The funeral was a graveside service. Along with the Mystery Shack family there were the Corduroys, Mayor Cutebiker, the Chius, the Cliffes, Pacifica, Nate, Lee, Tambry, Thompson, Alexa, Sheriff Blubs, Deputy Durland, Fiddleford, Abuelita, and the Valentinos. Luckily Robbie saw fit to stay away. 

Ford was wearing on of Stan's spare Mr. Mystery suits, making them look even more like twins. Mabel was in a black skirt and black sweater, while Dipper was in his Mr. Mini Mystery suit. Adam and William had bought suits during the last couple of days for the funeral, though William still had on his cowboy hat. Even Dan Corduroy was in a sports jacket. As everybody was getting situated, the pallbearers (Adam, William, Stan, Ford, Soos, and Dan) brought the casket from the building to rest on the lowering device. Once everyone was situated, Greg turned off the CD player and Janice walked up to the podium.

Looking out to the gathered crowd she began solemnly, “Dear friends, we gather here today to mourn the passing of Elaine Lara Pines. We say that the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this we believe it will be far in the future. But in reality the future can be anytime from later today to a sometime after the birth of your great grandchildren, the point is to live each day as if it maybe your last. Elaine spent most of her life working in the medical field where she helped people try to continue to live their lives to the fullest. She was the only child of Neil and Gabrielle Abbey in Madrid, New Mexico. Moving to California for college she met and married Adam Sherman Pines. After a few years they welcomed Marlon Adam Pines and Mabel Elaine Pines into the family. Unfortunately her life was cut short as she came up to join her family in celebration of the recent holiday. We now know she has moved on to help those who need her in the great beyond.”

Janice then stepped too the side of the podium and asked, “Now would anyone would like to say some words?”

William walked up to the podium and sat his hat down, “I really first met Elaine during one of my first shows in California while she and Adam were still dating. I warned her then that she was to good for him. Two years later I was the best man at their wedding. She was a real sweetheart that brought out some of the best traits in my best friend. I remember hoping a redeye from Japan to be there the night the twins were born and found out from her that I was going to be their godfather. I wish we had had more time to be friends and for all of them to be family.”

After he sat down Stan walked up to the podium, “Well, I really didn't get to Elaine to much. First time I met her was at the wedding, I saw my nerdy nephew shine as she walked down the aisle and take his name. I was also there there shortly after the twins were born, me and Shermy nearly got into a fight over who got to hold the squirts the longest. Elaine completely surprised us when she pulled out her watch and timed each of us so we wouldn't argue.”

Stan sat down and the twins went up. Dipper started, “Mom was one of the best people we knew. She always was willing to help out at any functions the school would hold. She was the one who decided to send us up here, mostly to get my nose out of my books and to get some fresh air. I'm gonna miss you mom.”

“Mom was one of my biggest influences, she was always there for me when I had school or personal projects. She taught me how to do both my scrap-booking and how to knit my sweaters. She was the one to tell me to always be myself even when no one else wanted me to. You we're one of a ki...” 

Mabel started crying and Dipper lead her on back to her seat. Adam Walked up to the podium next, “First off I want to thank everyone who came today, I know most of you are here because you are friends with the twins and for that I'm doubly thankful. My wife was my soul mate, I know she is in a better place because she was already and angel here on earth. She wanted to come up here and meet everyone who helped bring the twin out of their shells and helped them to learn to be proud of who they are. I know she would've loved to meet you Wendy and she would have found you enchanting Pacifica. I know a few of you have been told this, but we know we'll not be able to live in Piedmont with out her there anymore. That is the reason we is being buried up here, we are moving up here so I want you all to continue to help my kids to be best they could be, for Elaine's sake. Honey, I'm going to miss you.” 

Surprising everyone Wendy stepped up next, “Now I know I really didn't know Mrs. Pines, I really only spoke to her a couple of times when she happened to be in the room when I was talking to Dipper over the computer. But I know she had to be a special lady, she raised two of the best people I have ever met. I'm sorry I never got to meet you in person, ma'am.”

Seeing there was no others to come up Janice closed the service and afterwords handed everyone at the funeral a flower from the boutique on the casket. Once the casket was lowered each member of the family shoveled a scoop of dirt down into the plot. Dipper saw a few shadows in the woods move away when the service was done, he said a silent thank you to his friends from the woods. He stayed at the graveside for a few moments longer than the rest and happened to see Robbie come out to start filling in the plot. Blubs and Durland looked his way to see if he needed help, but he shook his no

“Look Dipper, I'm sorry for your loss. But starting tomorrow we're back to being enemies,” Robbie said as he shoveling in earnest.

“I guess I wouldn't expect any less. Good-bye Robbie,” Dipper said as he turned and joined the rest of the family to head back to the shack for the reception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 46 is in the books. We got Melody's answer. Mabel causing an uproar. Tambry's search turned up nothing and something. An appearance by Toot-toot. Candy and Grenda got some needed screen time, plus a new villain. And then the funeral. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ) 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Six is one of the darkest story I have written for the Gravity Heroes-verse and probably will be for a long time. It's Yami's origin and tells the reason he hates ghosts so much. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Odeebee. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The Keeper of Worlds has asked if I could see if anyone would want to do a work up of Yami. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out the full description to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 15-4-5 8-1-12-6 15-6 1 19-5-20 23-9-19-8-5-19 20-15 19-20-1-25 15-14-12-25 7-5-13-9-14-9 1-14-4 15-4-5 15-6 20-8-5 15-20-8-5-18 19-5-20 23-9-19-8-5-19 20-15 2-4 20-8-5-13-19-5-12-22-5-19, 20-8-15-19-5 23-9-19-8-5-19 23-5-18-5 9-14-20-5-18-20-23-9-14-5-4.


	47. Chapter 47

** Chapter 47 **

**Mystery Shack**

The reception not only had food from the families that came but some from various families that knew the Pines. Lee's mother had stayed at the shack while the funeral went on to organize the food as various people brought it in. There were several pies from Lazy Susan and Greasy's Diner, Lee's mom had brought a large pan of green beans, the Chius had brought a pan of Korean barbeque pork that Mabel always asks for whenever the girls have a sleepover at their house, the Cliffes brought a pan of macaroni and cheese, Blubs and Durland brought a fruit tray, Thompson's family sent a pan of candied carrots, the Mausleins sent a big bowl of organic salad, Nate made a pan of the curried potatoes that always seems to be a hit, and there were several other items on the table when the Pines arrived.

After grabbing a plate of food and being hospitable enough to get some of each offering Dipper sat at a table in one corner of the room the dances are usually held. He sat in silence as he picked at his food. 

“So what did Robbie say to you?”, Wendy asked as she sat down with him.

“Oh just the normal. He was being polite due to mom's passing but starting tomorrow we're back to being enemies,” Dipper said before he took a bite of food to make sure she didn't start to get on him for not eating. 

“I really don't know what's gotten into him. After Fearamid incident during Weirdmageddon he seemed to consider you a friend, he was always asking how you and Mabel were doing. He was worried some when he heard you was still having trouble making friends, even threatened to come down there and show everybody how cool of a guy you were.”, Wendy said with a weary smile, “He even seemed to be happy in his own way that you two were going to becoming up for Thanksgiving and then in sometime in September he started acting like he used to before Woodstick every once in awhile.”

“Wow, he started changing all the way back then?”, Mabel asked causing Dipper and Wendy to realize she was there.

“Yeah, he even started weirding out on some of our dates now that I think about it.”, Tambry added from next to Wendy, “But I just chalked it up to his band breaking up.” 

“Ok, where did you guys come from?”, Dipper asked looking around at what he thought was an empty table to realize it was full. Pacifica, Candy, and Grenda were on his side, while Tambry, Nate, and Lee were on Wendy's side. Looking at the end he saw Alexa and Thompson sitting in between Lee and Grenda. Francis and Tony had somehow managed to squeeze together at the other end. 

“Uhm, we sat down shortly after you did dummy.”, Mabel said holding a big bag of gummy koalas. Her plate had some of the barbeque and the curry potatoes, but her mouth was full of the koalas. 

“Where'd you get the gummy koalas?”, Dipper asked, “I thought dad said you could never have them again after the incident.”

“From them,” Mabel said pointing down to Grenda and Candy, “They have a bag of jelly beans for you also, and we agreed to never talk about the incident again.”

“Incident? Do tell,” Pacifica said jokingly looking for an embarrassing story about her girlfriend.

“Well,” Dipper started ignoring the dirty look Mabel shot at him, she hand told enough stories about him in the past. “Shortly after we got back to Piedmont Mabel got a hold of three bags of koalas and a can of Prime energy drink. The next morning dad went to leave for work and found her passed out in the garage surrounded by the candy bags and his car was somehow bedazzled.” 

“At least it wasn't Fundip,” Lee said with a smile, “The whole house would've been bedazzled.”

“Don't mention that evil stuff again,” Mabel said frowning.

“Hmm, maybe I should get you three bags of koalas and two of those energy drinks before you come over to my house next time.”, Pacifica said with a laugh thinking of what her parents would do. 

“I'd pay money to see that,” Grenda said looking at her friends. 

**Greasy's Diner**

Gillian and James were seated at one of the booths in the Diner eating their lunch. 

“So when are we going to go check to see if Stan's family is the one we're looking for?”, James asked.

“Later,” Gillian said looking down at the ring on her right hand, “Right now we need to figure out what to do, we were only supposed to be visiting the town for a week. People are going to wonder why we haven't left yet, we may need to see about starting up your online classes soon.”

“Well. If we go see the Pines again, we may not have to stay here that much longer.”, James said in between bites of his burger.

“Did I here you say you needed to go see the Pines'?”, Lazy Susan said as she brought over the slices of pie they had ordered earlier, “Right now isn't the best time to go see them, They just buried the twins mother today. There's a reception going on at the Shack right now.”

“What?”, Gillian said surprised. 

“Then we need to go pay our respects,” James said looking over at his mentor. 

“I guess we do, after we eat.”, Gillian said still wondering how she was going to face Stan again. 

**In the woods**

Sitting in the middle of a rarely used clearing sits a stone statuary with an out stretched hand and a top hat. This is the physical remains of the dream demon that terrorized the citizens of Gravity Falls just three months ago. Unknown to most the glade is undisturbed because a coalition of forest denizens keep trespassers out. At this time it was surrounded by sentries from four of the fiercest races in the forest. A gremloblin guards the north, a manotuar to the east, a dire wolf to the south, and Octavia to the west. 

Hauteur, the manotaur noticed a group of travelers coming in from the woods to the east of his position. Stepping into the clearing he asked, “Halt, who goes there?”

The man on a white horse who seemed to be leading the group of oddly dressed humans called back, “We are but weary travelers out searching for an item lost by a friend.”

Towering over the man, even though he was on a horse, Hauteur warned, “This glade is not open to any travelers, so there is no possible way your friend's lost item is here.”

“Really, my friends behind you have already told me different.” the man in white said as he pointed past the manotaur.

Hauteur believed this was a trick and did not turn till he heard a loud buzz as if a swarm of insects were flying behind him. Then he felt something slithering at his feet. He turned to see a flying green humanoid insect behind him and as he looked down there was a mass of snakes that had surrounded him. He bellowed loudly as he swung his hammer at the insect man.

**Mystery Shack Parking lot**

Gillian and James had pulled into a distant spot in the parking lot and were about to get out of the car when Gillian looked around at the crowd of cars.

“I'm not so sure of this,” she said as she unbuckled her seat belt, “There is a lot of potential witnesses here.”

“All we're needing to do in go in offer condolences and you shake your old boyfriends hand,” James said. 

Suddenly Gillian's head jerked upwards and turned towards the woods. She hopped out of car and ran towards the trunk. Once opened she grabbed out their satchel that carried their costumes for emergencies. 

James ran to her and asked, “What's up?”

With out waiting to answer she ran towards the woods faster than her age should have allowed with him following her. Once they were deeply ensconced in the woods she chanted, “Mutatur et ipsum!” over the satchel.

The clothes they were wearing were instantly exchanged with those in the satchel, all they needed to do was reach in and put on their non clothing items like his harness and mask. They then hid the satchel in a hollow of a tree near by which she then warded to prevent it's theft. 

Once this was done James asked again, “What's up?”

“There is a presence in this woods I have not felt for nearly a decade,” Gillian replied with a tinge to her voice he couldn't recognize, “and if I'm right we are in for more problems than hunting for the Tome and the Unicursal Shooting Star.” 

She again began running towards the presence she felt and as she neared she slowed down. Pulling out her fan and a vial of dark liquid she motioned for James to stop. “Code names from here out.”

He nodded and pulled his tonfa out of it's holder.

They crept up to a clearing and saw a man in white seated on a white horse directing a group of 'people' in a fit with some supernatural creatures. Yami's medallion began to lightly glow as he looked upon the group. Somewhere among the combatants there was at least one ghost. There was an insect man and a snake man fighting something that looked like a minotaur on steroids, a giant wolf half covered in ice fighting an Asian woman in a blueish white jumpsuit, a monster movie reject was fighting a thickly built guy in all black with a hood and blades on his arms, and finally a cow with extra legs sticking out of it's body was shooting lasers out of her eyes at a guy dressed like a cross between Zorro and one of the three musketeers. 

“Which side are we rooting for?”, Yami asked. 

“The creatures of the forest seem to be protecting something,” The Keeper answered, “I've never seen a grouping like this working together before so it must be important. And the man in white is the one I felt, so we don't help him.”

“Alright, I'm going in. Somewhere in there is a ghost and I'm gonna take it out,” Yami said as he ran into the clearing to join the fight. He went straight for the two on one action. As he got close he called up the shadows of from the insect man and wrapped them around his feet pulling him to the ground. He then rushed up and swung an uppercut at the mantis like head with the arm he held the tonfa in. As soon as it connected he dropped and swept his leg out trying to take out his opponents knees. 

Hauteur used this distraction to swing his hammer upwards into the body on the snake like man that had earlier been but a pile of snakes at his feet. As it hit the man took hold of the hammers head and began to slither down the handle and finally slithered up the manotaurs arm squeezing as he went. As he reached Hauteur's shoulder his body covered most of the arm and he began to constrict it in earnest. There was a resounding crunching sound that was just barely audible due to the howl of pain that issued from Hauteur as the bones in his arm were crushed. 

The dire wolf kept making attempts at attacking the Asian woman only for it to be hit by yet another blast of ice and having yet another part of it's body freeze up on it. If it hadn't been tasked by it's pack alpha to fight til it's death to protect the statue it would have long ago retreated to attempt to defrost it's body. 

The gremoblin wasn't faring much better. It's claws connected with the body of it's opponent but seemed to do little to harm it. It even at one point attempted to have the person stare into it's eyes only to nearly be lost in the void under the hood. It's opponent's blades have had no problem in damaging hit though and it bleed from several slashes. 

The cow creature still attempted to land an eye beam on it's opponent only for him to dodge and stab at it with it's sword. Each time he got close enough the blade would strike and inflict more damage on the cow. 

During all of this the man on the horse moved around the outer edge of the glade heading for a statue behind all of the combat. As he neared it the Keeper stepped out from the woods and spoke, “So Rassvet, are you still on your mistress's lease or are you your own person yet?”

“Why if it isn't one of my Mistress' former pet projects, how are you doing Morrighan?”, Rassvet, the White Knight asked, “Have you ever been able to finish the project you came to my Mistress to ask her aid for? Oh, wait. That's right. He was able to do the job without you.”

“I see your arm has grown back pretty good after our last encounter,” the Keeper said with venom in her voice.

“You should have never tried to trick your way towards getting the needle,” Rassvet said pulling out his sword, “There was no way I was going to let you take it for your own petty needs.” 

“Petty, petty.”, She spat out, “I was trying to help the man I loved to save his brother.”

“What matter does the life of one man matter to one as old as my mistress,” he said as he swung his sword down wards at her. She brought her fan up in time to knock the swords path away from her.

“I seem to remember one woman's life meaning very much to you,” she said sending a wave of energy from the fan at him.

“Leave her out of this,” he yelled as he jumped off of his horse dodging the blast. Rushing forward he sung his blade only for it to again to be knocked aside. 

“She was my friend and my student till you took her,” she said as she prepared to toss the vial of black liquid at him.

“She may have been once, but she was my wife first and foremost.”, Rassvet yelled as he swung at her again.

As she dodged she threw the vial at his chest and it shattered on impact. The black liquid spread over his shirt and jacket quickly and he jumped back ripping them off as he moved. No sooner had he removed them than the blackness enveloped them and they disappeared from sight. As she went to swing her fan at him again she was blasted by a wave of ice that seemingly encased her. 

Looking back on the battle Rassvet saw that all of the enemy combatants were down. He walked over to the statue and placed a medallion over the ridiculous top hat the statue had on and watched as it disappeared. He turned back to his underlings and said, “It's time for us to take our leave. My vozvrashchayem!” 

In a flash of white light they disappeared. 

Rising from the shadows behind the Keeper, Yami reached into the ice encasement and forced all of the shadows inside it to explode outwards shattering the ice and freeing the Keeper. Grabbing her he kept walking through the shadows till he reached the tree with their clothes and grabbed the bag. Then he continued till he was at the tree line. Seeing it was clear he moved into the shadows of the inside of their car and placed her in the back seat. Grabbing the car keys from the satchel he started the car and pulled out of the lot and headed back towards their motel. 

**Mystery Shack**

Adam was sitting at a table with William and the parents of his twins. He had been talking some with Grenda and Candy's parents learning some about his daughter's friends and the sleepovers the girls had held over the summer. Grenda's mom brought up how some of her romance novels always seemed to 'disappear' whenever the girls had a sleepover and laughed about how they always seemed to be back on the shelf the next day. Candy's dad remarked about how he was glad the girls had met each other as they all seemed to need good friends. 

Meanwhile William was deep in a conversation with Manly Dan Corduroy about topics that ranged from the proper way to execute a sleeper-hold to the effects of slash and burn tactics being used in the South American rain forests. William was surprised at how well versed the lumberjack was on the effects that long term logging had on the environment and was happy to learn that the company that Dan worked for actually planted two new trees for everyone they chop down, many of which were not saplings, but usually at least Dan's height that had started their lives in greenhouses owned by the company. 

Stan was at a table regaling the Corduroy boys with 'tall tales' taking from his life, always claiming they had happened to former friends or roommates. Ford sat there listening and realizing how much they both had had hard lives. Just at different times. Stan's was after their dad had kicked him out at seventeen and Ford's while he was on the other side of the portal. He still has not shared much about his time there and really he's not sure he would want to. Fiddleford was just listening to everybody as he sat there eating a plate of food. He was almost as enraptured with Stan's tales and the Corduroy boys. 

Mrs. Smark sat at a table with Mayor Cutebiker, Soos, Melody, and Abuelita admiring the ring that Melody was wearing. Abuelita had spent several minutes talking Melody about how Soos would definitely be a better man than his deadbeat dad. She even went so far as to praise Stan on helping raise Soos, but swore to put cactus leaves in the pillows of anyone who told him she said it. 

Waddles kept roaming from table to table taking whatever scraps people would hand off to him, though no one was mean enough to give him any of the barbeque. And little Valerie moved around from lap to lap getting petted everywhere she went, though she spent most of her time with Abuelita or Mayor Cutebiker. 

At the gang's table they had split up and began talking in their own little groups. Mabel, Pacifica, and Grenda had left and were talking up in the twins room where Grenda explained how she and Candy had gotten the candy they had given the twins. Candy and Francis were making plans on setting up some study groups to help everybody with school, she was also explaining the programs and stuff he would be facing when the Clondike's begin tomorrow. Nate and Lee were asking Thompson and Alexa about various topics to see if they thought she would be cool to hang out with the rest of the gang. Tambry and Tony had found themselves talking in a corner as she again thanked him for sticking up for her Friday. The fact that the two of them were off together was not lost on any of the gang either. Wendy had moved over to Dipper's side of the table and they sat there and looked at their extended family and shared some of his jelly beans. 

After the reception Wendy left with her family, but not before giving Dipper a hug and a kiss good bye. Tambry handed him the flash drive and told him about some of the info she had dug up. Pacifica wanted to stay, but knew she had school tomorrow so she went home. Lee and Nate left with Lee's mother. The Cliffe's gave Abuelita a ride home. 

Once everyone left things settled done. Tony and Francis went on to bed as they started school tomorrow. Adam and William went to pack up their respective suitcases so they could leave in the morning. Stan crashed early and was still out when Ford looked in on him before heading back down stairs. Eventually it was only the twins awake and even they were in their room trying to get to sleep. 

“Well Dip, we have two more days before we start school up here, you think you're ready?”, Mabel asked as she laid down.

“School is school Mabs,” He replied while trying to decide if he wanted to look at the flashdrive before he went to sleep or not, “It's just gonna be weird not having Tony and Francis or any of the gang around for those two days.”

“Part of me actually wishes we didn't have to wait for the transcripts to be transferred before we could go, I really want to see people’s reactions when they find out Candy has a boyfriend.”, Mabel said feeling happy for her friend and her cousin. 

“We'll get there soon sis, good night.”, Dipper said as he reached over and turned off the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 47 is in the books. We got the reception. Learned a little bit of history all around. Gillian and James learn of the Death of the Twins mother, The White Knight and some agents find Bill's glade. Gillian and James confront the White Knight who has some history with Gillian. The statue of Bill is taken. More reception, and finally the end of the night. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ) 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Six is one of the darkest story I have written for the Gravity Heroes-verse and probably will be for a long time. It's Yami's origin and tells the reason he hates ghosts so much. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Siryleleen & Polydactaly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you two. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. The Keeper of Worlds has asked if I could see if anyone would want to do a work up of Yami. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out the full description to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 6-9-14-1-12-12-25 6-18-5-5, 8-5 3-8-15-18-5 20-15 19-20-1-25. 8-9-19 12-15-22-5 7-15-14-5, 8-9-19 12-9-6-5 9-19 1-23-1-25.


	48. Chapter 48

** Chapter 48 **

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack Monday November 26th, 2012 7:10 AM**

As Adam was loading up his suitcases into his car, Mabel came downstairs in her pajamas carrying a book with her.

“Dad, I need you to return a book to the library for me.”, Mabel asked handing him the copy of 'Venkman's Visual Guide To The Paranormal' she had checked out last month.

“Sure kiddo, you gonna be good till I come back?”, Adam asked hugging his daughter tightly.

“Of course dad,” she said before she slapped a 'Gona Miss Ya!' sticker on his shirt. 

“Good, you haven't left yet.”, Dipper said as he ran over and hugged his dad.

“You know I wouldn't do that,” Adam said ruffling Dipper's hair after the hug. 

“Do I get a hug bye also?”, Wildbill asked as he walked up and tossed his bag into his passenger seat.

“Sure thing Unka Cowboy,” Mabel said as the twins ran over and gave him a goodbye hugs.

**Gravity Falls High 9:45 AM  
Economics 102**

Tambry had been sitting in class where she pretended to be listening to her teacher, but in reality she was checking her blog post from the previous night.

'Streak of Purple here. Spent most of the day with friends. Funeral was at noon and then hit the memorial reception. Funeral was nice and sweet. Twins gave small speech. Oh yeah, forgot to mention BFF's BF is half of a set of twins. After funeral ex approached BFF's BF and told him starting tomorrow they were enemies again. At the reception our whole gang took a table and we all exchanged small funny stories. Found out one of the girls is dating Austrian royalty or something like that. After eating we all sort of split of chatting. Finally talked to the cousin, found out we like a few of the same bands which was surprising since his cousin is into more top forties, filk, and nerdcore music. We're planning on hanging out some after school during the week. Just friends for now.   
As for BFF's BF, he and his sister are actually staying up here instead of heading back to California. Happy for her in so far it's not gonna be a long distance relationship, but sorry it took his mom dieing for it to happen. He's good for her and vice versa. And to think, I called him a crazy kid when I first met him. He's no kid, he's one of the best guys I know.  
Most of the crew are getting significant others, it's pretty cool. Even our lost hope has found himself a good girl, but someone in her family doesn't seem to like him. They both seem to really be into each other though so I don't think we'll have much to worry about.   
Thanks for all the well wishes all. SB&DD4evr for now it's cool. Only get on him if he really does something, don't go out of the way for my sake 3plaidlads thanks, but don't make me sic you sister on you.'

'Glad you talked to him. Sounds good. Still sorry for you friends mother.' - Closet Otaku {Nagoya, Japan}

'Well it's not like he's ever been a model citizen' - SB&DD4evr {Gravity Falls, OR}

'Filk is pretty cool, I may like to meet the friend's BF.' - Heroicorder {Taylor, MI}

'A friend you call a lost hope, huh. Is that really how you feel about him. Doesn't sound to friendly to me. Better treat your friends better. Hopefully all of your friends have a good time.' - Gamingsentinel {Maryville, TN}

'Royalty huh, sounds ike a money grabber. Oh Tab, whoever you are. Being Royalty means you don't have to worry about people like you.' - Queen O'Mean {Shelton, CT}

'Just read last blog and this one, you know we're here for you. Yeah, broseph's music taste is blah, but at least it's not country or show tunes. So that's what happened when me and the girls went upstairs, glad to hear I may not need to play matchmaker again. ;-) Oh Queen O'Mean, he actually courted her, not the other way around. Snob.' - Sweatermaiden007 

'Twins, cool.' - availablegit {Dublin, Ireland}

'Ok, I guess we'll leave him alone for now.' - 3plaidlads {Gravity Falls, OR}

“See anything important Miss Mauslein?”, Prof. Siembieda asked while looking over at her. 

“No, sir.”, Tambry said looking up from her phone hidden behind her school book. 

**Forsythe Middle School**

Francis and Candy are in their Pre-Calculus class working on the problems when the bell rang. As the class headed out to the hall they ran into Grenda and Tony as they walked to their next classes. Tony was heading to a computer aided drafting class, it was one of his electives. Candy had band, she was one of only a couple seventh graders in the class. Grenda was taking another year of gym class. Francis was heading to an Earth Sciences class. 

“How are you two liking it so far?”, Grenda asked as they walked down the hall.

“Pretty good so far, Gym first thing in the morning is invigorating.”, Tony said as he started to run towards his next class, “Gotta go, my class is on the third floor.”

“You would think he would have planned it so he would have an easier time to get to his classes,” Candy said adjusting her glasses.

“Nah, he just wants to push himself. He didn't even have a class on the first floor last period,” Francis said as he shook his head, “As for me since I shared my last class I think it going pretty good.” 

“Hears the gym, see ya later.” Grenda said as she ran into the giant room.

“Well I must be going also,” Candy said letting go of Francis' hand. 

“Remember, the gang's hitting Greasy's after school today.”, Francis called to her as she walked away. None of their other classes are near each other, so this was the last he'd see of her till after the last bell. He then turned around and headed towards his class at the other end of the hall. 

**Third Floor**

Tony made it to class just before the bell, looking in he saw a few people he'd already met in earlier classes and he also saw Pacifica. He started to head over to sit next to her when the teacher spoke. 

“Now you must be our new student. I'm Mr. Arkay, welcome to the Computer Aided Drafting class.”, Mr. Arkay said as he walked over to Tony, “We've already paired off on the current assignment but Miss Brit back there is working alone, I'm sure she won't mind the help.”

A girl at the back of the class with black hair stuck her hand up so he knew where to go. He walked back to the computer console and sat down. Looking over he saw she had a streak of yellow running through the left side of her hair. 

“So what's the current assignment?”, Tony asked as he sat down.

“Well right now we're designing a 3 bedroom apartment with a full bath and a deluxe kitchen.”, she said as she started typing, “the name's Marion Brit, but everyone calls me Mary.”

“Tony Clondike,”Tony said offering his hand.

“I'm surprised they let you have that Mohawk,” she said looking at his red Mohawk as she shook his offered hand. 

“Well they had no choice, I'm not changing it for no one.”, Tony said as he looked over the design Mary had already worked on, “Looks like you've got most of the basic work done already.”

“Yeah, but who knows maybe you have some ideas for fleshing it out some.”, she said with a smile.

**Bunker 10:20 AM**

Dipper and Mabel came down with Ford to check out the work that has been done to the Bunker since they had last been down to check. 

“Well as you can see we have the bedrooms done, Tony and Francis have already claimed theirs.”, Ford said as they walked the hall, “Most of the work is done in the Cryogenics Laboratory, we just need to finish installing the door. The main hallways are nearly completed.”

“Looking good Grunkle Ford,” Mabel said as she walked the halls, “Could use some color though.”

“When you choose your room, you can make it as colorful as you want, but this is a heroic headquarters. It doesn't need to be colorful, it needs to be practical.”, Dipper said as he was examining the walls, though even he thought it could use something to break up the monochromatic scheme of things. Maybe some blue on the lower half of the walls or something, but if he let Mabel do it there would be neon colors and glitter everywhere. 

“Well, we're also waiting on the computer and laboratory equipment that Fiddleford ordered to arrive. He has already built a new recharge unit for Pacifica's armor in the mechanical laboratory. We're getting ready to move the transport system in the lab and have her use the one at McGucket's Mansion as the back up,” Ford added he led them towards the bedrooms and the kitchen area, “We've already moved the food I had stockpiled down to the mess haul, but we plan on bringing a a steady supply of fresh food to keep down here. Grenda even suggested putting in a greenhouse down here to grow fresh veggies and a few oxygen producing plants to help keep the air from getting stale.”

“That's my girl,” Mabel said with a smile. Then she got a confused look while rubbing her chin and she added, “Though really, that has a different sound since I started dating Pacifica.” 

**Gravity Falls High**

The gang was in the lunch room chatting while eating school burritos. It really seems that Alexa has taken Robbie's place in the group, and she seems to be hitting it off with Tambry as they talked about some of the latest hardware for running PC gaming platforms. 

“So Nate, my man. I hear you have a date this weekend.”, Wendy teased him before she took another bite out of her burrito.

After nearly choking on a bite out of his fruit salad, he looked over and punched Lee in the arm before he replied. “Yeah, her names Jasmine. She's in my political science and history classes. I feel like a total idiot for not realizing she had a thing for me.”

“Jasmine, huh. She's in my economics class,” Alexa said as she looked up and saw three familiar girls walking their way. Trying to ignore them she added, “She's a real sweet girl most of the time, but man can she be grumpy at work.” 

“Hola Thompson. How are you doing today?”, Rica, a Hispanic girl with red highlights in her hair asked as she and her friends walked up to the table completely shocking nearly everyone gathered there. 

“Pretty good, how about you girls?”, Thompson replied as everybody except Alexa was trying to figure out what was going on.

“Oh you know, everything's chill.”, Kassi, a brunette from Wendy's Algebra class was said as she nonchalantly placed a hand on Thompson's shoulder, “we're just bummed that Thanksgiving break is over. We can't wait till winter break comes, we plan on doing some skiing and stuff.”

Both Nate and Lee (who were sitting on the same side as Thompson) saw Alexa shooting daggers at the three girls and almost scooted back themselves. 

“So Thompson, were you still gonna be able to tutor us some in calculus?”, Jeane, a bleached blond black girl that Lee had English lit with asked. At that everyone's jaw dropped.

“Yeah, 6:30 Thursday nights at the library.”, Thompson replied still keeping his eyes on the people he's talking to. 

“Alright, we'll see you then.” Kassi said finally wearing down from Alexa's staring at them. 

The three of them walked away as Thompson turned to see the shocked look on his friends' faces and a look of disapproval on his girlfriend's face. 

“What?”, He asked.

“What in the world was that about, man?”, Lee asked looking down at Thompson.

“What, that.”, Thompson said confused, “the three of them were having trouble in class and Miss Jackson suggested they ask me to tutor them.”

“Ok, but what about them hitting on you?”, Wendy asked looking down between Thompson and Alexa. 

“Status update, friend completely oblivious to girls.”, Tambry said as she typed on her phone.

“They weren't hitting on me,” Thompson said looking at everyone before turning to Alexa and asking, “Were they?”

“You're lucky you're as sweet as you are cute,” Alexa said as she grabbed his hand. 

Tambry looked up and saw Robbie, in a white button up shirt and jeans, walking with a girl blond girl with green and pink streaks in her hair that she has never seen at school before. 

“Ok, who is that with Robbie?”, She asked causing everyone to drop the previous subject and look over at them.

“Ah, she must be the one Jeremy was talking about. He said she's a new transfer student,” Lee replied once he got a good look at her, “Her aunt works at the grade school as a councilor or something. Apparently the front office has Robbie showing her around since they have nearly the same schedule. I think he said her name was Jaime or Jenni, something like that.” 

**Bunker 1:27 PM**

Ford and the twins were just finishing up the tour after they had ate lunch in the Bunker, when they heard the loud stomping that said Testosteraur had returned from his visitation of the Man Cave. See he was heading towards them, they saw he was looking depressed.

Dipper ran over to talk to the formerly proud manotuar and asked, “They didn't treat you too bad did they?”

“No, they were mostly understanding.”, Testosteraur said with a wane smile one his face, “Other than Leaderaur that is, he threatened to revoke my manliness due to my losses, then he said my honoring the debt I owed you and your mate was enough to keep it for now.”

“Your mate?”, Ford asked somewhat oblivious before he saw Mabel mouth 'Wendy'. He the looked closer at the beet red Dipper and said, “When did she become your mate?”

“Not now, Grunkle Ford.” Dipper said feeling like his face could scorch one of the alien metal walls. He calmed himself and asked Testosteraur, “Then what's wrong big guy?”

“My brother Hauteur was killed yesterday as your mother was laid to rest,” Testosteraur said as he slumped down against the wall, “I asked to go with the party that was to search for his murders, but was denied. Leaderaur said though I was still a man, my losses have proved that I am not man enough to avenge my brother.”

“Ok, that is not right.”, Dipper said as he placed a hand on the manotaur that was beginning to feel like part of the family, “Any idea why he was killed? And why do they think it was more than one murder?”

“He was part of a group that was guarding something important in the woods,” Testosteraur said, his head still hanging low. He looked at Dipper and added, “There were four dangerous creatures guarding whatever it was, Leaderaur wouldn't tell me what it was. They were all killed and whatever the item was has disappeared. They held his funeral pyre last night and I missed it.” 

Mabel came over and wrapped her arms around the neck of Testosteraur and said, “I'm sorry for your loss, it's been hard enough losing my mom. I really don't know what I would do if I lost my bro-bro.”

“Take as much time as you need man, we can work around here while you mourn.”, Dipper said looking over at his friend. 

“Thank you, but right now I need to be busy.”, Testosteraur said getting up and heading towards the last room he and Fiddleford had been working on. 

**Greasy's Diner 3:45 PM**

The gang met up at the diner taking up three booths. Dipper, Wendy, Tambry and Tony were in one. Francis, Candy, Grenda, Mabel, and Pacifica were in the next. And Nate, Lee, Thompson, and Alexa were in the third.

“So there he was with three girls almost hanging on him and he was totally clueless,” Wendy said recounting the lunch escapades.

“Yeah. For some one so good at math, sometimes he really can't put two and two together.”, Tambry chuckled as she looked up from her phone.

“Never would've thought Thompson was such a player,” Tony joked after listening to the story.

“Sounds like he didn't know about it either,” Dipper added. 

“Yeah,” Tambry said, “And I could feel the anger coming off of Alexa while it was happening, but it disappeared as soon as she found out he didn't even realize what was going on.”

Second booth

“So how were your classes today Francis?”, Mabel asked as she looked at her cousin and her friend sitting so close to each other. She was squeeing so much on the inside over how cute they look together. 

“School is school, really I can't wait to get to high school and the more advanced science classes.”, Francis said adjusting his glasses. 

“Yes, same here. Too bad I still have another year after this one before I get there,” Candy said before taking a drink out of her shake. 

“It'll be fine Candy,” Grenda said patting her friend's shoulder, “I'm sure you could pass the tests to skip the grade if you wanted to.”

“Probably, but my parents want me to get the full school experience and go through each grade.”, Candy said remembering how she felt last year when she was still in sixth grade while Grenda was already in junior high. 

“Oh, so fun.”, Pacifica said as she puts a comforting hand on Candy's, “Sometimes parents don't realize that what they want is hard on us. Believe me, I know.” 

Mabel leaned over and hugged her girlfriend. She thought back to how much they had both changed since they first met over the summer, she had been a boy crazed hyper active girl while Pacifica used to be a stuck up snooty queen bee. And look at us now.

Third booth

“So did you ever get the answers for the Algebra homework?”, Nate asked Lee.

“Nah, man. I haven't even thought of looking at it yet,” Lee said wolfing down some fries.

“All you need to do Nate is, oh I don't know, study.”, Thompson said laughing while he looked over at his friends.

“Man, that's too much work.”, Nate said causing the others to laugh. 

**A little shack somewhere in the woods**

The White Knight is standing looking at his Mistress while the statue of Bill Cipher was sitting in the mortar next to the pestle. The walls were still full of all the statuary, while the cage still held a small duckling seated on rabbits fur. 

“You did well my Knight. Though I am disconcerted to hear that the Keeper of the Lore is once again trying to interfere in my plans.” The metallic voice of the Mistress, “We will have to deal with her if needed. As for the object of your mission, I have found that his connection to the deity he made his deal with is to strong to break. It would still take him nearly a thousand years to regain his power, but even that amount of time will allow him to hamper my plans. I believe I shall send him to a group of beings as old as him who hold a grudge against him for corrupting the towns of Innsmouth, Dunwhich, and the Roanoke colony.”

“You mean?”, Rassvet asked.

“Yes, I shall send him to the elders.”, the Mistress said as she grabbed the pestle and started to move the statue before she called out, “Proch' fol demon, pokinut' eto mesto. Puteshestviye v Starshey rasy.”

The statue of the dream demon began to glow and fade from sight. As it faded she continued to stir the pestle around the mortar 

Once it was gone she continued to stir the pestle and intoned, “Eto izmereniye ne za vami bol'she ne budet. Vy otstraneny navsegda ot yego berega!”

She then raised her iron nailed hand and waved him forward, “Now he has been sent away and I have blocked him from ever returning to this reality.”

**Mystery Shack 8:30 PM**

Dipper had his laptop out on his desk and was comparing some of his own notes with what was in the binder containing the copies of the Journals. He and Mabel planned on looking for the site that Testosteraur mentioned earlier. If someone is out in the woods causing trouble, it's there job to protect it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ) 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Odeebee. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-5 9-12-12-21-19-9-15-14 9-19 14-15-23 18-5-1-12-9-20-15. 2-25-5 2-9-12-12, 2-25-5.


	49. Chapter 49

** Chapter 49 **

**Gravity Falls Tuesday November 27th, 2012 9:30 AM  
Woods**

Having packed a some extra water, some protein bars Wildbill had left, a sandwich for each of them, and a few items from the Shack Dipper and Mabel had headed out into the woods a half hour ago. He was dressed for the colder weather in a brown jack, black shirt, blue jeans, and Wendy's hat for luck. Mabel was in a camouflage sweater she had knitted before they headed back to Gravity Falls for their next Mystery Hunt and a pair of black jeans. 

They had just passed the bunker tree and were heading deeper into woods. Testosteraur didn't have a definite location, but he had a general direction. There had been a section of the forest that had been closed off by the wardens of the forest. Dipper theorized that this maybe the area that was being protected when Hauteur died. So they headed towards that direction planning on getting more directions from the forest denizens as they go. 

“So how long do you think we'll be out here bro-bro?”, Mabel asked as they trudged along. 

“It all depends on how far we have to go and what we have to do once we're there,” Dipper said looking over the map he had in his hand.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here boys?”, said a brown furred cat like creature that stood on two legs. He was in a camouflage vest and a loincloth that looked like it was made from a discarded t-shirt. He was with two others of his kind as he continued, “Looks like we got us a couple of stragglers.”

“I dunno Lem, they look like a coupla lost hikers ta me.”, the one to Lem's right said with a smirk. He too was in a loincloth that was made from an old t-shirt. His has a faded Bubba Joe's Barbeque City logo on the front of it. 

“I dunno, Pyle. Remember what the Gnome PD said after that lumberjack went missing last spring,” the third said. He was skinnier than the other two and had what would have been a mulllet on a human. His loincloth looked like it was one of the panther shirts sold at the Shack. 

“Quiet Cid, what those lil bumpkins don't know won't hurt us.”, Lem said as he walked towards the twins, “But it just might hurt these two.”

**Piedmont, CA 10 AM  
Piedmont PD Arson Division**

Detective Niobe was sitting at her desk talking to one William Hauser aka Wildbill William Anderson from the OSW gym case. He had already filled her in on the fact that he had been out of town since the previous Monday and had almost a whole town worth of witnesses that could verify his alibi if needed.

“Alright Mr. Hauser, I now need to know if you have any enemies that may have wanted to cause you, your employees, or any of your of your students any harm?” Detective Niobe asked as she sat and looked down at the notes she had already taken and mentally added them to what she already knew about the case. It really was an interesting one there were four different flashpoints in the building and all tests for accelerants came back negative. And the burn patterns were definitely weird, they really didn't seem to follow any natural set burn patterns. 

“Not off of the top of my head, at least none that would be up to this. I mean, like every business owner I have competitors but the most any of them would do is to try and book wrestlers I need for my shows.”, Wildbill said as as he looked over at the Detective who was interviewing him. She seemed personable enough, if he had met her under different circumstances he may have even asked if he could buy her a drink sometime. 

“We've already checked with most of your competitors,” Detective Niobe said as she finished looking at the notes. She looked up at the guy dressed as a modern day cowboy, including the boots and hat, and wonders how a guy from Indiana would come to live in Piedmont while looking like that. She continued by asking, “How about any family, anyone there have enemies?”

“No family out here. My mom's in a convalescence home back in Indiana and my dad died before I was born. A b and e that went wrong that, nearly killed me and my mom also. If a neighbor hadn't heard her scream and called nine-one-one, neither of us would be alive today. The guy slit my dad's throat and tried to do the same to mom but heard the sirens and apparently ran.”, Wildbill said not really knowing why he was spilling all of this info. 

“Sorry to hear that,” Detective Niobe genuinely said, “What about your godchildren? I've heard they were local celebrities for a bit after your godson stood up to some bullies and it got caught on camera, not once but twice.”

“Well, they were also up in Oregon. But you are probably asking if they had any enemies, especially due to the bully videos.”, Wildbill replied, “Their bullies are actually somewhere in your departments files already. Their houses were all burnt down almost a month ago, and before you ask they were investigated and cleared by you own department. I also was investigated and as I said then I was in San Diego on business that week end and didn't get back into town till the following Tuesday.”

“Alight, that's all we need for today. We'll let you know if we need anymore information,” Detective Niobe said as she stood up and shook his hand. 

“Thank you ma'am,” Wildbill said as he tipped his hat then turned and walked out of the station house. 

After he walked out an officer walked over to Detective Niobe and handed her a note that read, 'Detective Niobe. Sol Rouse, a reporter with the Piedmont News, called asking for an interview about the rash of recent arson cases.' 

**Gravity Falls  
Gravity Falls High School  
US History**

Wendy was busy taking notes over the Articles of the Constitution when suddenly she started getting a sensation that something was wrong. Try as she might she couldn't shake the feeling. Something was going on and she was stuck here in a class she couldn't walk out on. 

Realizing it was the same feeling she get's whenever Dipper was in trouble she finally walked up to the teacher and said, “Mr. Stokes, I need to go to the restroom.”

After she received the pass, she quickly headed down the hall and after making sure there wasn't anyone else in the room slipped her earbud in and tapped it, “Dipper, Mabel. Come in.”

**Out in the woods**

Dipper and Mabel were running from the redneck cat people they had encountered about a half hour ago, so far they had tried to not use their powers as this was a new species that Dipper hadn't seen in the journal pages. They had been lucky enough to encounter several fallen logs and low hanging branches that impeded the pursuit somewhat.

“So why again are we trying to not use our abilities,” Mabel asked as they passed a set of three orange tinted trees.

Seeing the strange hue of the trees, Dipper nearly sopped to investigate them but decided against it as he heard a hiss coming from behind them. As they ducked into a small cave they found after going over a short ledge Dipper finally whispered, “Do you really want to advertise to all the denizens of the forest what we are able to do.” 

Mabel started to respond, but stopped when she saw him tap onto his left ear. “We're here, what's up?”

Sliding her own earbud in, she heard Wendy ask, “ger sense going off, you two safe?”

Taping her own ear Mabel replied, “Just some good ol catboys. I'm talking 'You could be a hick if' targets here. One had a mullet.” 

Wendy came back, “Are they werecats? Shouldn't they only be able to change at night?”

“Not sure if they're weres or not, they were intentionally wearing loincloths,” Dipper came back as he tapped his earbud, “I haven't had a chance to look at the Journals since we started running.”

Wendy came back, “You need me out there?”

“No, we'll use our powers if it comes to it. You need to stay in school,” Dipper relied, “I don't want to be the reason you get a detention for skipping a class.”

“Well be careful then man, you being in trouble is distracting.”, Wendy said, “I better get back to class. I'll keep the earbud in if you want.”

“Just put it back in at lunch, we'll update you then.” Dipper whispered as he heard the cat-people above them.

Mabel quietly intoned, “Kilqvxg Gsv Rnztv!” and the entrance to the cave they were in to the outside world seemed to collapse in upon itself.

Wendy came back with, “Please be careful. Remember you mean a lot to me.”

“You too,” Dipper again whispered. 

**Bunker**

Ford was in the nearly stocked crime laboratory, setting up supplies that had arrived at Fiddleford's yester day evening. A lot of it was basics; tables, chairs, beakers, bunsen burners, electron microscopes, and chemicals. And then there was some of the more specialized equipment; a mass spectrometer, a small centrifuge, a scent transfer unit, a comparison microscope, and a fingerprint identification system. 

As he was finishing putting the chemicals in their various cabinets he heard a loud foot fall coming up short of entering the laboratory. Turning he asked, “Is there something I can do for you Testosteraur?”

“I just needed to talk to some one,” Testosteraur said, “And given that Destructor is unavailable I thought I would talk to you. You both know what it is like to be considered on the outside of your civilization. It is a new feeling for me. With the loss of my horn, and my near loss being considered a man in the eyes of my fellow manotaurs. As I was leaving the man cave yesterday I was called a freak by more than a couple of my former friends. They felt as if I was only left in the tribe due to the loss of my brother. And their words hurt. These were my fellows who I would have followed into any situation. And now I am shunned as a freak.”

Holding up his six fingered hand ford said, “I know something about being a freak. I've lived my whole life as one. And to be perfectly honest I would rather live as a freak than be considered normal. Heck look at our collection we have growing around us, I don't see a one of us who was not considered a freak at least at one point of time or another. Dipper has his birthmark and intelligence, Mabel her naturally cheerful and silly personality, Mcguket's personality and lost memory, Wendy's stature and lumberjack genes, Francis and Tony two former paper clones, Pacifica's fall from her former social status, Candy's intelligence and social awkwardness, Grenda's size and strength, Nate's lackadaisical personality, Stan's history and reputation as a con man, Soos' childlike nature, etc. Being a freak isn't something to be ashamed of, it actually is something to be proud of for it marks you as an individual. Remember among us there are no freaks, only family.” 

“Thank you, I really think I needed to hear that.”, Testosteraur said feeling a small amount of weight rise off of his chest. 

“You're welcome,” Ford said as walked up to him and placed a hand on his arm.

**Out in the woods**

After waiting around ten minutes and two snack bars, Mabel and Dipper slid out of their covering with Dipper now holding an expanding baton he had bought online after he started training with Wildbill and Mabel had the stun glove on that Candy had made. Looking around they realized that while being chased they had entered into a part of the woods that Dipper had not explored yet. Dipper knew that they were still traveling in the right direction so they continued on for a little while longer. 

“I wonder where those three hick cats went?”, Mabel asked as they went forward.

“Right now I'm not even worried about them, we should almost be running into the cliff face soon.”, Dipper said looking up from his map and as he turned to look at Mabel he saw a clearing that appeared to have had a large bonfire made in the center of it. He completely turn and said, “It looks like we are here.”

As Mabel turned Dipper started to walk past her fulling extending his baton, he put one finger to his lips as he entered the clearing.

“Halt, who goes there?”, a voice came from on of the bushes on the edge of the clearing asked.

“We're just two hikers who got lost,” Mabel called out as she followed Dipper into the clearing.

“No, you're not.” the voice said from another bush.

“Then pray tell, who are we?”, Dipper asked as he tried to focus on the voice.

“You're the Pines twins,” the voice said from behind them now, “Heroes of Weirdmageddon.”

“Ok, so you know who we are. Who are you?”, Mabel asked trying to allow Dipper a chance to find the owner of the voice. 

“You wouldn't really know me by name if I told you,” The voice said.

This time Dipper was ready and spun around, his baton knock the red coned hat off of a gnome.

“Whoa man. Chill.” the gnome said as he leaned over and put his hat back on, “I'm glad I'm not any taller, you would've taken my head off and not my hat. Name's Carson by the way.

“Nice to meet you Carson,” Mabel said shaking his hand with her off hand due to the stun glove, “What happened here?”

“A battle was fought and some lost they're lives,” Carson said looking back on the remains of the funeral pyre, “I'm just glad I wasn't on duty when it happened.”

“Why would you be guarding a clearing anyways?”, Dipper asked not really seeing anything out of the ordinary here.

“Well since it's gone, I guess it's safe to tell you now.”, Carson said as he sat down on a rock on the edge of the clearing, “Shortly after you two left the physical remains of the dream demon were found in this glade. Not wanting to risk anyone stumbling on to them most of the denizens of the forest joined together to safeguard them and keep any interlopers away.”

“Wait, hold up. The physical remains of Bill Cipher were in this glade?”, Dipper practically screamed.

“Yes. Many of the mystics in the area, including the Hand Witch came to the glade and tested him to make sure there was no danger in his awakening. It was explained that it would take him nearly a thousand years to gather all of his energy again.”, Carson said continuing his exposition, “We'd all vowed that we would each send a representative to guard the glade for twelve hours a day. We smaller stature clans usually send between three to four people to guard our assigned area. The day of the theft we had a strong group, that shouldn't have had any trouble dealing with any trespassers. The next shift came into the glade and found them all dead and the statue was gone.”

“So someone has a statue that's gonna take forever to recharge, that sounds stupid to me.” Mabel said still looking around.

“I told ya'll I heard them,” Pyle said as he headed into the clearing followed shortly by the other two.

“Oh, no. The Gnome PD are already here,” Cid said seeing Carson 

“Remember bro-bro, they have claws. So we fight my way not yours,” Mabel said as she turned the stun glove on.

**Forsythe Middle School**

Francis is sitting at a table pretty much alone trying to eat the almost rubber green beans when Tony walked up along with a girl with a blond streak in her black hair.

“Mary, this is my brother Francis. Francis, this is Mary. She's in my computer aided drafting class,” Tony said introducing his brother to his classmate, “We found out we had the same lunch when we met in line a moment ago.” 

“Pleased to meet you,” Francis said as he held out his hand, which she shook.

“Back at ya,” Mary said as she started to eat.

“I'm warning you two the green beans are made of rubber,” Francis said as he watched his brother.

**Gravity Falls High School**

While the rest of the crew were seated at their usual table they all noticed Wendy was absent. She was sitting out on the front steps of the school trying repeatedly to get an answer on her earbud. The feeling of dread she had earlier had subsided shortly after their talk only to return a few moments ago. 

“Come on man, answer.”, Wendy said as she tried again to raise her boyfriend or his sister.

She got up and started pacing as neither of them returned her signal.

**Out in the woods**

Dipper had just brought his baton across the snout of the lead 'hick cat' as Mabel called them when the one in the barbeque shop loincloth tried to swipe his nose off of his face causing him to fall flat on his back pack, man his sandwich is going to be so squashed. No sooner had he hit than the lead cat tried to jump on his prone form. Dipper brought his legs up and kicked out wards sending hm flying. Mabel had already dodged several swipes aimed at her body and connected with a backhanded slap on reflex. Sliding a few steps backwards she prepared the stun gloved hand to be ready to deliver an open palm strike the next time. He charged at her swinging wildly, she ducked and then delivered the strike right to his breast bone. She smelled burning fur and saw him fly backwards from a combination of the force of her blow and the stored electric charge. 

Dipper had started to get back up as barbeque boy tried to rush him. Dipper rolled to his side and swung out with the baton connecting with the catman's kneecap. He heard a sicking crack as the cat fell face forward. Getting completely back to his feet he saw the leader of the cats trying to rush his out of the corner of his eye. As he got with in arms reach, Dipper spun to his left side and swung the baton hard into the small of his back causing him to scream in pain. As he finished the turn he heard a loud sizzling sound and saw Mabel had used the glove on the one whose kneecap he thinks he broke. 

Now that everything was over he finally tapped his ear and said, “Sorry to worry you, Wendy. We were in the middle of something. Yeah, we're ok. The biggest damage I received was squishing my lunch.”

Wendy came back, “You had me worried sick dork. I nearly ghosted to you with out worrying who would've seen me.”

Mabel was turning over the last one she knocked out and took a couple of photos of him with her phone so they could make a decent drawing of them in Dipper's journal when they got home. 

“No need to go exposing you self Wendy,” Dipper said, “We're getting ready to head home now. We've found the clearing and we know what was taken. Tell you later.”

Wendy responded, “I better get in there and eat something. I'll see you at the Shack later. Please be careful. Remember you mean a lot to me.”

Dipper said clearly, “You too, love you.”

Once they made sure Carson was going to call in the GPD for these three the twins started to head back. As they walked Dipper decided he wanted to get a good look at the Orange hue trees he saw on the way. After they passed the cave they had hid in he finally found the group of trees where he saw the orange hued ones, but they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 49 in in the books. This was a fun chapter to write. We start out with the twins heading out on their last mystery hunt before they start at their new school and what do they find? Redneck cat people. Then there is Wildbill's interview with the Detective in charge of his gym's arson case. We see that Wendy and Dipper's connection is as strong as ever while he and Mabel were running from the 'Hick Cats' (allusion to the old phrase hep cats). Testosteraur get's a pep talk from Ford of all people. Carson the gnome tells the twins what was taken form the glade. And then the 'Hick Cats' find them in the glade. A visit with Tony and Francis at lunch. On her lunch Wendy starts to worry, while Dipper and Mabel fight the 'Hick Cats'. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies)  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ) 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 2-1-4 3-1-20-19, 2-1-4 3-1-20-19, 23-8-1-20-3-8-1 7-15-14-14-1 4-15. 23-8-5-14 20-8-5 7-14-15-13-5 16-4 3-15-13-5-19 6-15-18 25-15-21!


	50. Chapter 50

** Chapter 50 **

**Mystery Shack**

After the twins had made it back to the Shack from their excursion, Dipper wanted to go straight up to the room to work out what all they saw but Mabel made him sit down and eat the lunch they had taken with them. His smashed sandwich was still pretty good for a peanut butter and jelly. Since they were at the Shack he was able to supplement the sandwich with some chips and an apple. Once she was sure he had ate Mabel let Dipper head up to the room the work on the board. 

Dipper stared at the board some more and for some reason added orange trees to the board. He went ahead and added the theft of Bill's statue to the board. He also added the disappearance of the satyr Nigel, the fight with the Catmen, the death of the Hand Witch, the name Morrighan (those two he connected), Grenda and Candy's run in with the Candyman, Nate's anxiety attack (which he instantly connected to his and Mabel's attack), and his new position as the Mediator. 

Mabel came into the room as he was finishing up, looking over at the board she looked as if there was suddenly a light bulb going off over her head. Looking at Dipper she said, “I just remembered some thing. I've seen trees like those orange ones before.”

“You have, where?”, Dipper asked as he was trying to decide if there was anything else he should add to the board. He wanted to have it somewhat ready for when Tony, Francis, Pacifica, and Wendy showed up after school. 

“There was a set like them out on Scuttlebutt Island when Tony and I fought the Kitsune,” Mabel said as she was still looking over the board thinking it could use some sprucing up, “And now that I think about it, I don't remember them still being there when the fight was over.”

“So these trees have appeared near two of our battles, but disappear after the fight was over.”, Dipper said as he scratched his chin. He went ahead and attached the orange trees to the Catmen and to the Kitsune but with a different color string as he was just guessing on their parts. 

“I'm trying to remember if I've seen them anywhere else but I'm not getting anything,” Mabel said as she went and sat on her bed. Something was still bugging her, but it was really just there at the back of her mind. She couldn't get it to come out. 

Sensing her discomfort Palmer climbed up on the bed and started lightly rubbing the top of her head. 

Realizing he was getting nowhere with the board Dipper pulled out his Journal and began writing down his observations about the Catmen. He called Mabel over to ask her to draw out a figure of one of them on the page so he knew where to not write. She pulled her phone out and began looking over the pictures she had taken and using them as reference she drew a picture that took up a quarter of the page and under it she labeled them as 'Hick Cats'. When she was done she gave Dipper back the Journal. He took time to add in what observations he's made: They were fully furred during day time so most likely not -thropes of any type, they were fully bipedal, from the way they talked they were carnivores and not above preying on humans, lack of respect for the at least one of the forest's police force, and they had some sort of modesty as the where loincloths. He'd have to go out with a group later to do more research on them. 

Looking up he saw they still had around forty-five minutes till the gang should be out of school. After all the running and fighting he'd done today he decided to go ahead and get a shower. 

**Bunker**

Looking at the size of the room they were putting together, Testosteraur knew they were not putting together another Lab room or kitchen. It was almost tall enough that Leaderaur could not only stand up in it but palm the ceiling. It was also around the length of a football field and almost half that in width. It was also one of the few rooms that had more than one entrance. There was a door on either end that led back to tunnels that eventually led back to the main room. There was also a third tunnel that had lead to had opened around two thirds of the way up the east wall that Ford and Fiddleford had sealed off with glass from inside the ship they were getting supplies from. It had already been tested to be mostly impervious. They set up some control banks and made it an observation post to watch over this room. He finally began to understand, this was going to be a room to test their mettle in combat and other skills needed in their upcoming trials.

**Piedmont, CA  
Kirkwood Technologies 2:45 PM**

Adam Pines was sitting at his desk working on some code he needed to get done before he left next week. He had turned in his two week notice to personnel and also put in to use up his remaining sick and vacation days so that Friday will be his last day with the company.

“Pines!”, he heard his boss bellow from his office. Putting his screen saver on Adam got up and headed towards the office.

“You called Mr. Sadler,” Adam said as he walked to the door.

“Yes, yes. Come in and have a seat,” Curt Sadler said as Adam walked into the office, “First off I wanted to pass on my condolences, I really only remember meeting Elaine once but she was a sweetheart. Next I've heard you've given your two week notice.”

“Yes sir, I'm moving up to Oregon with the remaining members of my family. The kids and I feel there would be to many bad memories in the area to stay,” Adam said to his boss, “They spent the summer up with my uncle and fell in love with the town. We're gonna start over up there.”

“I'm really gonna be sorry to see you go,” Mr. Sadler said as he reached into his desk and pulled out piece of paper. Grabbing a pen he put his signature on the bottom of it and then handed it over to Adam, “Normally I'd be trying to talk you out of this, but with the tragedy you went through just before the holidays I can understand. I've taken the liberty to write up a letter of recommendation for you. I've also talked it over with a few other higher ups and we're going to still go ahead and give you your Christmas bonus. You've been a loyal enough employee that you've earned it.”

“Thank you sir, I really didn't expect that.”, Adam gratefully replied.

“We know. But we also know that if you hadn't had your tragedy, you'd probably still be with the company for another ten to fifteen years at least. You've earned it Adam,” Mr. Sadler said looking over at his soon to be former employee, “Now get out of here and make sure you get your work done before you head up to Oregon.”

**Gravity Falls  
Gravity Falls High School**

Nate and Lee were standing at the stairs leading from the front door of the school waiting on Thompson and the girls. They saw Wendy and Tambry walk out first which was usual, but they didn't see Thompson. They waited a good fifteen minutes before they decided to head back in and look for him. They headed towards his locker but saw he wasn't down that hall, they started to head to another hall when they heard a noise coming from the men's room. Running in the saw a Hispanic guy they didn't recognize pushing Thompson into one of the stalls. Rushing over Nate tackled the guy as Lee ran over to help Thompson get to his feet. 

“What's your malfunction man?”, Nate asked as he got off of the guy. Looking over he saw Lee helping Thompson get off of the floor of the stall, “You ok, Thompson?”

“I need to wash my face off and take a shower, but I think I'm ok.”, Thompson said as he walked out of the stall with his head soaked. He walked back to the previous stall and grabbed his backpack off of the floor.

“Hey, jerk. You never answered me. Why'd you attack our friend?”, Nate asked as he and Lee picked the guy up off of the floor.

“I don't need to tell you anything,” The guy said as he spit in Nate's face. 

Nate drew his hand back getting ready punch the guy but instead just let him fall to the floor and said, “You're not worth it.” 

“Did he tell you why he was doing it?”, Lee asked Thompson. He was watching the guy as he took Thompson's bag so he could try to wipe his face off. Nate took the next sink and washed off the spit.

“He walked up behind me and said something about how a 'Dork like me doesn't deserve a cutie like Alexa', the next thing I knew he grabbed me by the back of the head and slammed me into the door frame.”, Thompson said as he pulled some paper towels to the dry off. Both Nate and Lee were shooting daggers at the guy, “the next thing I know He was shoving my head in the toilet.”

As the three friends started to head out of the bathroom they heard the sound of someone running towards them. As they started to turn, Nate and Lee heard was the sound of someone hitting the floor. By the time they had finished they saw Thompson rubbing his fist and standing over his prone attacker. 

“Let's get out of here,” Thompson said passing his friends. 

As they walked out of the bathroom Wendy, Tambry, and Alexa were waiting.

“What happened in there?”, Tambry asked looking at her friends and seeing Thompson looking soaked.

“Joey, are you ok?”, Alexa asked as she rushed to his side.

The guys told them what happened as they walked outside. It took Nate, Lee, Thompson and Tambry to keep Wendy from going back in the school and giving the guy a 'piece of her mind' via her fist. It was only after they reminded her that most of them had to work tonight, that she was convinced to leave well enough alone. 

The gang split up and headed their separate ways. Thompson and Alexa went towards his house so he could wash up and get to the theater after he dropped her off at the mall, Nate and Lee headed to Nate's house for some video games, Wendy headed for the Shack, and Tambry headed to Yumberjack's to meet Tony. 

**Mystery Shack**

After he had gotten done with his shower Dipper dressed and went down to get a drink. Once he was back upstairs Dipper spent the next twenty minutes typing on his laptop. While he was in the shower he had had a thought. Bringing up a translation program he typed in the name Polden' Solntse to see what would pop up in Toggle translate. The language identifier showed it to be Russian, and the site translated it Noon Sun. Yet another Russian connection. He had already found that the Leshy and Rusalkii both were from Russian origins. He went ahead and added 'Russian?' under the question mark labeled Mistress. 

**Piedmont, CA  
Wildbill's Apartment**

After his interview with the Detective, Wildbill drove around for a bit trying to figure out what exactly he was going to do about the Gym. He knew he was going to reopen it with Antonio in charge for now, but what about a year from now or two or three. He loves the business but with everything going on, does he really want to risk endangering his friends and students any more. He finally ended up heading back to his apartment and started packing up his stuff. He already knows he'll be up in Gravity falls for awhile and doesn't want to leave anything down here that can be used against those he cares about. 

After awhile he had most of his stuff together so he placed the few outfits he was keeping with him in a duffel bag and took it down to his truck. Once he went back up to his room he pulled his dresser away from the wall and slid the back panel off revealing a selection of weapons. Reaching into the selection he pulled out a silver bladed knife, two sets of throwing daggers, and a sickle and chain. He put those items into a second duffel bag.

Once he was done he grabbed his phone and dialed. “Hey Mabel, I have a favor to ask you.”

**Gravity Falls  
Yumberjacks**

Tambry was seated at a table drinking a soda as she waited for Tony to show up. They had decided at the reception to get together today to try and get to know each other a little bit. She also thought this would be a good way to repay him for defending her honor. As she was reading some replies to her blog she heard the door open. Looking up she saw Tony coming into the restaurant and beside him was a girl his age with black hair with a blond streak in it. They looked to be in a deep conversation about something and it seems as if he hadn't even noticed she was even there. For some reason that bothered her. She started to get up and leave, but that was when he noticed her. 

“Oh, there you are Tambry.”, he said waving bye to the other girl and heading in her direction. 

“Yeah, I was Just getting ready to head out if you want to talk to your friend some more.”, Tambry said looking away from him.

“No way, I came here to talk with you.”. Tony said not noticing the color coming to her cheeks, “Besides Mary is just a classmate, I only walked here with her cause she was coming to meet her brother after school. She said he usually gives he a ride home but he had something to do after school and wanted to meet her here.”

“Oh, ok.”, Tambry replied looking down at her phone. She thought to herself, 'Ok, what's going on here? Why am I worried about him hanging out with another girl.'

“So, uhm, how was school?”, Tony asked as he looked over at Tambry noticing how quiet she was. 

“It was school,” Tambry said with a smirk, “Dull, dreary, and too long. I couldn't wait to get out of there. The only thing different was someone jumped Thompson after school and tried to give him a couple of swirlies.” 

“What?”, Tony almost yelled causing some people to look over at them. 

“Calm down, Nate and Lee saved him. And Thompson cold cocked him as he tried to jump them as they left the bathroom,” She said feeling a little bit of pride at her friends actions. 

“Man, I'd have loved to see that.”, Tony said as he looked over at the purple haired tech geek, still trying to piece together why someone as cute as her hasn't already gotten a new boyfriend after how Robbie went and dumped her after he became a jerk. 

“And how was your day?”, Tambry asked while looking at her phone. In reality she was trying to figure out what was going on. She paused for a moment to take a sip from her drink. 

“About the same minus someone getting jumped,” Tony said noticing she was still looking at her phone. She looked to be engrossed something and not really listening to him, how were supposed to get to know each other if she had her nose glued to her phone. Trying to get her attention he continued, “Pacifica saying she can't wait for the twins to start tomorrow.”

“Uh, huh.”, Tambry nodded.

“Candy and Francis holding hands,” Tony continued. 

“Uh, huh.”, Tambry nodded again. 

“Grenda joining the debate team,” He added.

“Uh, huh.”, Tambry responded with another nod.

“Francis and I making out in front of the whole student body,” Tony said trying to break through to her.

“Uh, huh. Wait. What?”, Tambry said with a shocked look on her face. 

“Well that got your face out of you're phone,” Tony said with a smirk. Then suddenly he got serious as he added, “Seriously though we were meeting to get to know each other more, not so you could continue to update your blog. If that's all you're going to be doing, I may as well head home.”

As he started to get up she reached out and grabbed his hand, “Wait.”

He turned to look at her and saw her place her phone into her purse.

“You're right. I'm just nervous here and I guess I use my phone like that one kid from Walnuts uses his blanket.”, Tambry said as he sat back down. 

“Why are you so nervous, I'm the one who should be nervous.”, Tony said looking at her across the table, “I'm the one sitting here with one of the cutest girls in Gravity Falls.” 

Tambry blushed at that.

“Tell you what, let's go up and get some food and we'll just sit here and talk for awhile. Ok?”, Tony said as he got up. Once he did he offered his hand out to help her up also. 

“Sounds good,” Tambry responded. If she had been looking she would have seen a Hispanic teenager meet up with the girl Tony called Mary.

**Mystery Shack**

Wendy was walking in through the gift shop door. Even though the Shack was now closed through the week she still came in after school a couple days a week to help keep the inventory stocked and to clean up some, or at least that was what she told her dad. In actuality Soos kept her on like this in order to give her some time away from her family. He knew how stressful it was at her home, do he didn't mind giving her a break. It also didn't hurt that her boyfriend was still staying at the Shack.

Soos comes out from the back after hearing the bell from over the door go off. As he saw who it was he stopped and said, “Hey Wendy, I was afraid we had a customer try and come in and there was no one out here to help them.”

“Nope, just me coming in for my shift.”, Wendy said as she dropped he backpack behind the counter, “Where's Dipper and Mabel, not out adventuring still I hope?”

“Nah, dood. Last I saw they had went up stairs after they ate lunch,” Soos said as he headed back into the back. He was working on coming up with new attractions for the following spring and summer. 

Wendy headed up the stairs two at a time, making sure the creaky one was one she missed. As she neared their door she saw a glow coming from under the door. Worried something was going on she jerked the door open and looked around and saw a surprised Dipper staring back at her.

“Whoa sorry man, saw the weird light and got worried.”, Wendy said as she saw Dipper's shocked face. 

“No, problem.”, He said once he was able to speak, “That was Mabel. She's heading down to Piedmont to help Wildbill move some stuff up here. He's gonna stay in one of the rooms in the Bunker and doesn't trust leaving everything down there.” 

“Ah. So what are you working on right now?”, she asked seeing his mystery cork board out and in use.

“Just trying to see if I can put some of these pieces together,” Dipper said as he walked over to the board while she looked at it. 

“Orange trees?”,Wendy asked looking at one of the weirder entries on the board.

“Yeah, twice now Mabel has seen some orange hued trees near one of our fights, only for them to be gone when we are done. I'd wonder if she had gotten into some Smile Dip if I hadn't seen the trees myself the second time,” Dipper responded. 

“Ok, and what about this possibility of the Mistress being Russian?”, Wendy asked as she pointed towards the center note.

“Well you've fought two different types of Russian based entities that were connected to the White Knight, who we know works for this Mistress. And then there's Polden' Solntse which according to Toggle translate means Noon Sun in Russian,” Dipper said scratching the back of his neck, “That's too much to be a coincidence and I really don't believe in coincidences anyways.” 

“Wait, there was a statue of Bill in the Forest and now it's gone?”, Wendy asked.

“Yeah,” Dipper sighed, “We just found out about it earlier, while we were out. But according to the people we talked to it was inert and gonna take nearly a millennium for him to gather enough power to even appear in his own dimension let alone here.”

“Well that's somewhat comforting, but why steal it if he can't comeback for that long?”, Wendy asked.

“If we find out who did it, we'll ask them.”, Dipper said with a wane smile. He was looking at the board when something clicked to him. He rushed over to his laptop and after typing for a few seconds he looked over at her and said, “I think I've figured out who the Mistress is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 50 is in the books. Next chapter will have more action in it. I had some planned, but the character took over the story again. 
> 
> Well, soon I may be going to a more sporadic schedule or taking a small hiatus. I will try to keep to my normal schedule but I have to be moved out of my current house by the 30th. This means I will have to take time to pack and move. This is going to be even more problematic as we don't currently have a place to move into. My phone may also be turned off sometime after the 20th, prob closer to the 24th. I will post whenever possible after my phone is off. Life is just really kicking my derriere. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream (formerly A Pleasant Dream). It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-5-28-5 3-15-13-5-19 1 20-9-13-5 23-8-5-14 1-12-12 13-5-14 13-21-19-20 19-8-15-23 20-8-5-9-18 13-5-20-20-12-5.


	51. Chapter 51

** Chapter 51 **

**Gravity Falls  
Alexa's House**

As Alexa walked up the sidewalk she saw Gregor's car in the driveway. She really didn't want to see him, but knew he would know if she tried get in and out without him him noticing. She figured she might as well head on in.

“I'm home,” Alexa called as she walked through the front door. She quickly ran up the stairs and started to get dressed for work. Once that was done she headed back down and saw Gregor waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. 

“And where do you think you are going?”, he asked as she came towards him.

“The same thing I always do on Tuesday, I'm heading to work.”, she replied as she tried to make her way past him, “And you're gonna make me late for my shift.”

“You don't need to go there anymore, I turned in your resignation in this morning. I have also am pulling you out of your school, I will be teaching you here. Both the school and the job are beneath you,” Gregor said as he grabbed her arm, stopping her. He continued, “You never know what type of undesirable people you meet in such places.”

“Are you talking about Joey?”, Alexa asked as she turned on him. 

“Among other's,” Gregor responded, “I am your cousin and your legal caretaker while your mother is away. You are my responsibility and as long as you live under my roof you will do as I say.”

“We'll I have news for you, I'm seventeen and I can make decisions on my own. I don't need you to tell me where I can work or who I can date,” she came back as she shot him the same glare that sent the three girls who went after Thompson running with their tails tucked between their legs. Unfortunately it didn't seem to have fazed him.

“GO. TO YOUR. ROOM. NOW!”, Gregor demanded. 

In a huff Alexa turned and headed back upstairs to her room, slamming the door in the process. Frustrated she picked up her phone and first called her job to tell them she was coming back soon. Next she dialed Thompson. 

**Yumberjacks**

Tambry and Tony were seated at the table talking, He had told her some of his and Francis' life on the run and his discovery of Parkour. She shared her experiences growing up in Gravity Falls and the fun living with a vegetarian mother and brother. All of this was done over two Yumburgers, two orders of fries that they piled together, and an iced tea for him while she drank a Pitt Cola. 

“One of these days we'll have to go out for a run together, maybe I can show you a few moves.”, Tony said as they were both reaching for some fries and accidentally grabbed each others hand.

“Oops, sorry. Go on,” Tambry said as she realized what had happened.

“No, I insist. Ladies first.”, Tony replied. 

Neither of them had let go of the others hand as a guy in a Letterman's jacket came up to the table. Ignoring Tony the guy looked at Tambry and said, “Hey Tambry, I heard you dumped the grease stain. How would you like to go out with a real man now?”

“Look Sylvester. If you can't tell I'm already out with someone,” Tambry said to the jock standing over the two of them. Tony looked at her as he figured out what she was saying. 

“Really? I thought you were babysitting,” Sylvester said finally looking over at Tony and receiving a mean look. With a sneer of his own he continued, “So is this your little knight in shining armor you wrote about in your blogs? He really doesn't look like much more than an eighties reject, you could do much better. Like me.”

“Look here you jack...”, Tony started before a squeeze from Tambry's hand stopped him.

“I've told you this before Sylvester, I'm not interested in you.”, Tambry said looking Sylvester straight in the eyes.

“Oh, you'll change your mind. Chicks like you always do. Just remember that when you dump the pipsqueak here, I'm be waiting. And believe me baby, I'll show you a real good time.”, Sylvester said with a lewd gleam in his eye. He then turned and walked away. 

With a shiver Tambry watched him go before looking over to Tony as he watched Sylvester walk away. While she saw the anger in Tony's face, there also seemed to be something more there. It was like he didn't even seem to mind that the jerk had just insulted him twice, he seemed more worried about what was said to her.

“If that guy ever comes near you let me know,” Tony finally said after he saw Sylvester leave the restaurant, “I will have him screaming for his mommy before he knew what was happening.”

“You know you don't have to defend me,” Tambry said as she realized that they were still holding hands. 

“I know, but really I don't mind. Guys like that don't know how to treat anyone with respect, especially a cute young lady like you.”, Tony said squeezing her hand, “Francis and I saw too many of them on our travels. They make me sick. And what he said to you and about you, that only made matters worse.” 

“Still you don't have to feel like you need to protect me, I can protect myself.”, Tambry said nervously.

“I know you can, but I...”, Tony said stuttering over his words, “I just want to make sure you're ok.”

“Oh,” Tambry said feeling a slight blush come to her cheeks. 

“I know you probably said it to get rid of the jock, but did you really mean what you said about already being out with someone?”, Tony asked as he was looking her in the eyes, “I mean I know we said we were just getting together to get to know each other but I want to make sure I'm not reading things wrong here.”

Tambry started to blow it off but she realized that they were still holding hands and really she didn't mind at all. Thinking about this she said, “Well I didn't come here today to start anything more than a friendship.”

At these words his face fell slightly, if she wasn't staring at him closely she probably wouldn't have even noticed. Not wanting to be the one to cause him any more sadness she continued, “But when I first saw you come in here with your classmate I have to admit I was surprised to realize I actually felt a little bit jealous.”

“Wait, I told you she is just a classmate,” Tony spoke up, even though he didn't know why he tried to pull his hand back but she held it tight. 

“I know, and I believe you. It's one of the good traits you do share with your cousin and one I hope you don't try to change it.” Tambry said again squeezing his hand, “And as we sat here talking I found myself thinking this may be worth pursuing. But since I just came out of a relationship, I wanna take this slow. I wanna make sure I'm not just trying to use you as a rebound. You understand?” 

“Yeah, I understand. And this will be my first relationship, so I want to take it slow too.”, Tony said with what Tambry thought was a twinkle in his eye. 

**Piedmont, CA  
Wildbill's Apartment**

So far Mabel had already transported Wildbill to the Bunker once so he could choose a room and so she would have the focal point to her return teleportation. They had first brought some little things like some of his extra clothes to make sure she could handle it. Next trip they brought his recliner and an end table. They had just decided to try his TV and the other end table when there was a knock on the door. 

“Now who could that be?”, Wildbill said as he looked over at the door, “Mabel, hide in the bathroom please.” 

“Gotcha,” Mabel whispered as she closed the door behind her. 

Once she was safely hidden, Wildbill went to the door and looked through the peephole and saw a beautiful dark skinned woman that he recognize as one of his former workers. Opening the door he asked, “Colleen, what are you doing here?”

“Well hi ya bossman, I was wondering if you were gonna be holding a show soon? And if so did you have a spot for an old employee?”, Colleen asked standing in the doorway. 

“You'll have to go ask Antonio, he's running things for awhile. I'm taking a sabbatical,” Wildbill said as he looked at the female wrestler. His face took a down turn as he asked, “Besides I thought that after the last show you worked for me you said you'd never wrestle for me again. Something about how I was holding you back and not letting you work to your full potential.” 

“Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I was young and full of myself,” Colleen said with her face turned downwards, “I heard about the gym and decided I would come and offer my help.” 

“Thank you, but like I said you'll have to go offer it to Antonio.” Wildbill said a little bit surprised. 

“Ok, I will look into that.”, Colleen said as she put a hand on his chest, “And just so yo know, my other offer still stands, too.” 

“I told you before I don't sleep with students, even after they graduate.”, Wildbill said removing her hand from his chest, “Stuff like that can ruin a career in the business as easily as a bad storyline

“Oh, ok. Well I better get going.”, Colleen said as she turned away from him and walked away. After he closed the door she turned back with a fiery gleam in her eyes.

**Gravity Falls  
Northwest Manor**

With trepidation Pacifica walked up to her parent's house for the first time since her parents got home last night. She was expecting for them to start in on her as soon as she walked in the door. She would rather have gone back to McGucket's or the Shack, but she really needed to face this and get it over. With one final calming breath she turned the knob and entered the house. The first thing she noticed was that it seemed that no one was home, she expected her dad was at the factory but her mom was usually home at this time. 

“Anybody here?”, she called as she walked through the foyer. Hearing no reply she headed up to her room. As she got to her door she had a feeling that something was off. Her whole body was telling her to turn and run and if this had been a few months ago she would have. But she now stood on her own and was no longer her parents lackey. She had faced danger several times recently and whatever is on the other side of this door had better watch out. Just to be safe she pulled out her earbud and put it on. 

“Alright, I don't know what's going on in there but I'm coming in.”, she said as she grabbed the door handle and swung her door open quickly. Rushing into the room she was surprised to find nothing. Her entire room was completely empty.

**Yumberjacks**

In a booth towards the back of the restaurant Mary sat talking to her brother over a stack of burgers. Her back was towards the table where Tony and Tambry were seated 

“You know mom would kill us if she knew we were eating here,” Mary said as she took another bite out of her burger, “I mean how much health food are we supposed to eat, if I had known I probably wouldn't have signed on for this.” 

“Look sis,” her brother said taking another drink out of his fourth cup of water, “we both know neither of us had a real choice in the matter. Lord knows what would've happened to me if dad hadn't saved me from that river years ago and we can't forget about your...”

“Yeah I know, Hector. Look let's change the subject. How'd the favor you did for mom's friend go?”, Mary asked as she started on another burger.

“Pretty good till a few of his amigos showed up. One of them jumped me just as I was putting him into the second toilet,” Hector said, “then the jerk decked me.”

“So, fifty/fifty then?”, Mary asked with a shrug. 

“It looks like you really aren't doing to much better,” Hector said as he took a look over her shoulder.

“What are you talking about? I've been talking with Tony for the last two days. Heck, he said he was meeting a friend here, so I made sure to walk with him and the entire time all he could talk about was how fun it was to work on our project together.”, Mary said before finishing off the burger in her hand, “That's why I had you meet me here. I told him you usually pick me up, but something came up. I've had him like putty in the palm of my hand.”

“Well don't look now, but it looks like he's in someone else's palm right now.”, Hector said with a smirk as he pointed over her shoulder. 

Turning quickly she saw Tony and Tambry holding hands and looking into each others eyes. Seeing that she said, “Well sh...”

**A little shack somewhere in the woods**

Inside the cage against the wall there was now a nearly full grown duck laying on a rabbit skin. 

“Soon it will be time to test the heroes once again,” the metallic voice of the Mistress said to herself. 

**The building that formerly held Rupert's Books and Novel-ties**

Gillian and James walked into the old bookstore and she looked around reminiscing. She had lied to Stan when she told him she had sold the building. Though she closed the business she could never allow herself to completely cut ties with the town that was her home for so long. Since then though it has held a few different businesses; a nail salon, a music shop, a pawn shop, and lastly someone had tried to run a small illegal casino in it under the guise of a bingo hall. 

“Well since it seems we have to spend some more time in this town, we may as well have a better base of operations than that rundown old motel.”, Gillian said after they had walked around the building for a little bit, “We'll have to say that I'm homeschooling you though, unless you want to have to go to school.”

“In a town like this, I'll be considered an even bigger nerd than I was back home. No thanks,” James said as he continued to walk around the building. 

“Well I'll conjure up some beds in the office and the back room for us to sleep on and we'll go from there.” Gillian said as she headed to the back, “Go ahead and bring in the bags.”

Snapping to a sarcastic salute James responded, “Yes, Ma'am!”

“Smart alec,” Gillian called back. As she watched him go she thought, 'He's so much like his father was at that age, quiet and reserved unless hes comfortable around you.'

**Highway 278**

Three trucks trudged along the nearly empty highway that went pass the entrance to Gravity Falls, this wouldn't be that big of a deal except two of the trucks were labeled US Army and the one in between them was carrying a load of weapons heading to the reserve base near Portland. 

“Man, I hate getting these escort jobs.”, the passenger in the last truck said to the driver, “if I really wanted to travel the highways like this I'd have followed my dad into the trucking business.” 

“Hey man, at least it get's us away from the base for awhile. If I had to listen to the sergeant order us to do another ten laps I'd have gone crazy,” the driver said. 

“Head's up guys we have a car blocking the right two lanes. It looks like a lady with a bad blow out. We're slowing down to pass her safely.” came a voice over the radio.

“Gotcha.” The driver responded.

As the lead truck slowed down two guys jumped out from the behind the car and threw out three rows of spike strips. As the truck tires hit them they blew out throwing the truck out of motion and causing the trucks behind them to ram into them. As the soldiers gathered their wits about them and attempted to exit their vehicles and guard the middle truck several people in various camouflage outfits ran out from the trees lining the right side of the highway. 

The driver of the last truck called out an SOS to the closest base. 

**Mystery Shack**

“I think I've figured out who the Mistress is.” Dipper had just said when an alarm began ringing out of his computer. He quickly turned back to it and began typing.

“What's going on Dip?”, Wendy asked as she looked over his shoulder.

“It's a new program I had Tambry make, it keeps a look out for any incidents locally that could use our special type of help.”, Dipper says as he reads over the report the screen is showing, “It appears a small military convoy was ambushed about twenty miles down the highway.”

He got up and grabbed his batons from the closet. Shifting forms he tapped his earbud, “Any body with your ears open, we have a situation and are needed. Mabel we need you and Wildbill.”

After she had asked what was going on he gave a quick explanation. 

By the time Francis ran up the stairs Mabel and Wildbill appeared in the room. She was in her Glamur gear and he was dressed similar to how he was when they first met Polden' including the bandanna covering his face. 

“Pacifica is gonna meet us there,” Shifter said as he turned to Glamur. 

“Let's,” Wendy said as she pulled the ax out of her arm becoming Will O', “rock!”

“Where's Tony?”, Francis asked suddenly as Glamur magically changed his clothes to his uniform. 

_“He and Tambry aren't answering, I guess their 'getting to know each other' session must be going good.”,_ Will O' said with a smile. 

“We'll just have to handle this one on our own,” Shifter said as he turned to Glamur and pointed to a scene he was getting from a satellite feed Tambry had previously set up to watch the area, “Can you get us close enough?”

Looking at the screen for a moment she found a landmark she recognized and intoned, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and the familiar golden glow surrounded them. 

**Gillian's Hideout**

James was had just brought his bag into the area of the back room he had claimed for himself when he heard a weird bit of static break in over his headphones, “...convoy… it's an ambush… twenty miles pass Gravity Falls exit… send help...”

Without thinking he grabbed his gear and began walking through the shadows in the direction he hoped they would be, dressing as he went. Luckily he was already in black jeans. 

**Highway 278**

Three of the guards were still firing off shots trying to fend off the ambushers. One guard was down with a nasty wound to his left shoulder. The ambushers weren't fairing much better, after the first charge they all retreated back behind the tree and car as the soldiers tried to keep them pinned down. This lasted till one of the attackers threw in a gas grenade that help a sedative gas in it. As the soldiers fell the hodge-podge crew came out from their hiding places and began moving towards the trucks. A pair of pick up trucks pulled onto the highway besides the middle truck.

“Alright guys, load as many cases as you can. We need to get back to the compound before any back up troops arrive.”, the woman who had been with the car called out. 

Several men started to load crates into the back of the pick ups. None of them noticed the glow that appeared on the top of the middle truck. 

“So is this a private party or can any body join in?”, Shifter called as he jumped down in between to of the guys unloading the crates. Grabbing their heads he slammed them together. 

“Roofhrlmzib Hdzin!”, Glamur called out and suddenly the man driving the first pick up slammed his foot on the gas as he seemed to be attacked by a swarm of bees coming out of his AC vents.

_“Prepare to feel the justice of the woods!”,_ Will O' called as she shot a ball of fire at the woman in charge. Though she dodged her hair did get singed. 

“Yeehaw,” Desperado yelled as he fired off a couple of shots hitting his targets in the hands causing them to drop their weapons. 

Flux fell feet first into the hood of the second truck as hard as he could with his iron body. Reaching through the window he pulled the driver straight out of the truck and threw him into one of the other attackers. 

_“Sorry, I'm late.”,_ Charger said as she hit a guy trying to sneak up on Shifter with a Tesla blast. 

“No problem, welcome to the party.” Shifter said as he whipped out one of his batons and hit the guys closest to him across the arm causing him to drop his gun. He then spun back around and kicked him in the gut. 

“Dvy Lu Rilm Hrop!”, Glamur called pointing at an attacker running towards Flux. The next thing the guy knew he was surrounded by a metal web that pulled him to the ground. 

One of the guys still behind the car fired a shot at Will O'. In turn she swung her ax and split the hood and engine in two. 

_“Prepare to feel Lumber Justice!”,_ Will O' called out before she collapsed. The guy who shot her was solid wood before she hit the ground. 

“Will O'!”, Shifter called as he saw her fall. Shifting into a minotaur he rushed through three attackers to get to her side. Upon reaching her, he shifted back to his Shifter form and cradled her in his arms. Doing everything is his power he attempted to share his energy with her to help her heal as he asked her, “Are you ok?”

The other attacker that had been behind the car saw that Shifter was distracted and sneaked up behind him with his knife drawn. Seeing Shifter was otherwise engaged, Desperado jumped down and ran over to cover his charge. He delivered a back hand to the guy that sent him flying nearly twenty feet away. 

_“I'm good dork, ugh.”,_ Will O' said as the bullet slowly moved itself out of her body, _“That's gonna smart for a bit though.”_

Charger landed next to them, _“You need any help?”_

_“No, I'm good.”,_ Will O' said as she tried to sit up. She quickly laid back down. 

“You all need to back away and leave,” the woman in charge said while holding a pistol to Glamur's head. 

“Sorry guys,” Glamur said, “She got me when I came to check on you.”

“Now leave!”, the woman said pressing the pistol closer to Glamur's temple, “Cover, make sure they are gone. Then I'll release the girl. Cover?”

The next thing anybody knew the gun went off, firing straight up into the air. Desperado was standing there holding the woman's wrist at an odd angle. Glamur was free.

“Argh,” The woman screamed after he released her hand. She then looked at Desperado and said, “You wouldn't hit a woman, now would ya?”

“You're right, I wouldn't.”, he responded. She grinned a big smile until he said, “But she has no problem with it.”

She turned around just in time for Glamur to lay her out with a left hook that would make Stan proud. 

**Top of the mountain overlooking Highway 278**

“Cover?”, the voice from headset that laid on the ground next to the downed sniper said. His gun had been disassembled and laid ten feet away from him.

“They were able to stop them,” Yami said as he watched over the aftermath of the battle, “These guys seem to be on the side of good.”

“That they do, my child.”, the Keeper said as she stepped out from the shadows.

“Ahh!”, Yami yelled before he realized who it was, “What are you doing here?”

“After you left abruptly, I had to see what caused it.” the Keeper said as she also looked over the end of the battle, “I simply used a spell to travel to where you were. Those young folk down there seem to have everything in hand, we should leave.” 

She started to turn away when she caught sight of girl in white's left hook, 'I'd recognize that punch anywhere.' she thought as she watched the group bind up the villains. She also felt a small pull of a familiar power as the girl in white caused her friends and herself to disappear. 

“She has the Unicursal Shooting Star, which means she has the Tome also.”, she said mostly to herself. 

“Are you sure? The lady on the ground? Why didn't she use it to save her group?”, Yami said a little confused. He had just finished tying up the sniper. 

“Not her, it was the girl in white. She is the new holder,” the Keeper said. She then focused on the soldiers and said, “Evigilo!”

She watched the soldiers started to rouse and then she said, “Come we must go.”

She took his hand and intoned, “Insciente vinctum!”

**Yumberjack's**

“Well this was fun, we need to do this again.”, Tony said as he helped Tambry to her feet. 

“Yeah, maybe we can go see a movie or something next time,” Tambry said as she stood up.

After she was up he picked up their tray and took it to the trash can as they left. When that was done he said, “Sounds good to me.”

Once they were outside they started walking back through the town, continuing with the chat as they went. When they got to the grocery store Tambry turned to Tony and gave him a peck on the cheek, “This is my stop, I have to pick up a few things for my parents before I head home. I'll see you Friday if not before, ok.”

“Sounds good. I'll see you later then.”, Tony replied before she headed into the store. 

As he walked past the pathway in between the grocery and the next store he was grabbed by the collar and pulled into the pathway. Once he was face to face with the guy who grabbed him he realized it was that Sylvester guy.

“I don't know who you are pipsqueak, but you're gonna leave Tambry alone if you know what's good for you.”, Sylvester said as he held Tony up by one arm with the other pulled back as if he was ready to throw a punch.

Tony asked, “What are you gonna do if I don't, you neanderthal?”

“I'll just punch your light's out until you either have to quit seeing her or you won't be able to see her,” Sylvester said. 

He then threw a punch straight at Tony. Without missing a beat Tony caught the punch and in the next heartbeat he put his foot on Sylvester's leg. Quickly he pushed upwards and brought his other knee straight into Sylvester's jaw, causing him to be released. Landing in a crouch he swept the jock's feet out from under him. As Sylvester hit the ground, Tony threw a punch squarely into his jaw.

“Now listen here, Tambry is a wonderful person who definitely deserves a better person than you. And if I'm lucky enough to be that person, I'll be happy.”, Tony said as he lifted Sylvester's head up from the ground. Once he saw for certain that Sylvester was still awake he continued, “now you better leave her alone or I will make your life a living hell. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y, yeah.”, Sylvester answered with a gulp. 

“Good,” Tony said before he released Sylvester and his head hit the ground. And with that he turned and left the jock on the ground as he headed back to the Shack.

**Somewhere else in town**

Blair was sitting down in the kitchen eating a bowl of grapes while browsing the internet on her phone. Her cousin had came home from school, did his homework, ate an early dinner, and went to his room. She was all alone till she heard the kitchen door open behind her. Turning she saw Robbie and Jennifer walk in the door. 

“Blair sweetheart, how come you didn't introduce me to this vodushevlyayushcheye sushchestvo* when she first came to town?”, Robbie said as he walked over and placed a kiss on Blair's cheek, “Oh don't worry, you have nothing to be revnivyy** about. Its just now there are now two maidens from whom I must chase the wolves away.”

Blair smiled up at Robbie, admiring the glow that seemed to radiate from his eyes. But she was beginning to worry some, over the last few days his speech patterns have been slowly changing becoming more eloquent (not that she minded that). Also like he had just done, there were phrases and words coming out that were in some foreign language that she didn't know. Looking over at Jennifer she saw a look of admiration in her eyes, this itself was weird as she didn't even know Robbie before yesterday. 

“After school today I showed her around our happy little gorod*** and we even stopped and talked a bit with Tad Strange so she would know what a good grazhdanin**** of this gorod actually looks like.”, Robbie added as he pulled a chair over and sat down next to Blair.

As she looked deeper into those eyes all of Blair's misgivings drifted away. 

**Alexa's house**

Gregor sat waiting for his niece to come down and try to argue with him again about her job and that boy. He even had expected her to come down to plead and beg him to change his mind. What he hadn't expected was the near silence coming from her room. For as long as she has been alive Alexa had a will almost as strong as her grandmother or even his own. After nearly an hour of this silence he went up to her room and found the door locked. Reaching out with his mind he cause the tumbler to unlock. As the door opened he saw that her closet seemed bare and most of the drawers in her chest were hanging open. Beyond that he saw her bedroom window was open. 

Rushing down the stairs he ran out of the front door only to a beat up pick up truck speeding away after having turned off of his street. 

**Mystery Shack**

As the returning glow subsided, Shifter quickly carried Will O' over to his bed and laid her gently down. He had no sooner done it before he himself collapsed. 

Intoning “Xolgsrmt'h Mlinzoxb!” Mabel rushed to his side as fast as she could, followed by Wildbill. Will O' tried to Sit up to see what she could do but the shoulder she rolled onto was the one that had been shot and she winced in pain before she propped herself up with her other arm. Francis helped Pacifica out of her armor before they both joined the others. Gently turning him over Mabel saw that he was bleeding form the same spot where Wendy had been shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 51 is in the books. We got another look into the home life of Alexa. Tambry is hit on by a jock from the high school in front of Tony, which caused them to figured out things even quicker than even I thought they would (once again the characters took over). Wildbill encountered one of his old students. Pacifica came home to an empty bedroom. Mary found out she wasn't playing Tony as well as she thought. Gillian (and James) returned to her old store front. A militia attacked an Army convoy causing the team (minus Tony, Tambry, & Candy) to react. Yami also went to the soldiers aid. Wendy was shot. Yami ended up helping out the GH and Gillian now knows that one of the GH has the item she is seeking. The jock confronts Tony only to learn Tony isn't to be trifled with. Things continue to get weird with Robbie. Alexa seems to have run away from home. And we leave off in another cliffhanger. 
> 
> Being without cable and writing the story has been somewhat hard since no cable means no Gravity Falls to help inspire me. But I was watching other DVD's to help me out some: Teen Titans, Archie's Weird Mysteries, Negima!, any and all Scooby Doo, Birds of Prey, and whatever other anime I feel like pulling out at the time. Gravity Falls is actually the first property I've really considered buying a pirated copy. Yes I know it's on Netflix (or was it Hulu?) and no I don't have access to either of those. Argh. 
> 
> Robbie's translations (from Russian thanks to Google Translate)  
> * Enchanting creature  
> ** Jealous  
> *** Town  
> **** Citizen 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-5 12-5-1-19-20 15-6 20-8-5 6-12-15-3-11 8-10-12-4-19 20-8-5 7-18-5-1-20-5-19-20 11-5-25.


	52. Chapter 52

** Chapter 52 **

**Mystery Shack  
Twins Room**

Wildbill quickly lifted Dipper up to Mabel's bed. He pulled the shirt away from where the wound should be and saw that he was bleeding through his skin, there was no wound. 

“What did you do you dang fool?”, Wendy called as she looked over at her boyfriend and her best friend.

“He did what you would do, he sacrificed his well-being to help you.”, Mabel said as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, “Now I need to try and help him.” 

Mabel walked over to her brother and placed her hand over the wound. Drawing upon her powers she intoned, “Yovhhrmt Lu Oruv!” 

The blood seeping from his skin began to slow. Now all they could do was wait. 

**Indianapolis, IN  
Visions Comics Home Office**

Inside an office near the top floor two men were in the middle of a conversation. They looked like total opposites the one behind the desk was shorter, skinnier, had short black hair, glasses, dressed in a buttoned down shirt and slacks, and had an excited look about him. The other man was taller, well built, had long brown hair pulled into a pony tail, was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and really looked apathetic about being in there. 

“Look Alan, listen to me. This is a great chance here,” the smaller man said as he got up from behind the desk and walked around towards the other man. As he leaned against the desk he continued, “We're talking something that has never been done before. Think about it, a comic book company creating it's own real life super hero team. With people out there starting to exhibit abilities, this is the perfect time to do it before someone else beats us to it.” 

“Ok. And you brought me here why exactly, Jer?”, Alan asked as he looked over at the shorter man. 

“Well for one mom told me about you did to the meter-maid and the chick the was crying over her dead dog. She said you thought you were able to change people’s emotions,” Jerry said to his brother. Alan started to say something but Jerry stopped him, “Let me finish, please. The other reason is ever since you lost your federal job after the incident, you have been nothing but a layabout sponging off of mom. You need to get out and do stuff. You need a new purpose.”

“What I need is for my family to butt out of my life,” Alan said as he started to get up, “And for your information, I wasn't fired I quit.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jerry said walking around to the front of his taller brother, putting a finger on his chest he stopped him and continued, “But you still have all of your training and if I know you, you still want to do something to help people. This would be the perfect opportunity to do so.” 

“I'll have final say over everything involving me and my likeness?”, Alan said giving in to his younger brother.

“Certainly,” Jerry said before he went back behind his desk. As he sat down he continued, “Now we just need to figure out how to do the recruiting. Maybe we can hold tryouts at Pryor Stadium.”

**Muskogee, OK  
Honoré University**

In an alley just off campus at Honoré College, a young couple sat in a car about to make a decision that will change one of theirs lives forever.

“Joanna, are you sure you want to go through with this?”, Mike said as he looked over a the gothic beauty sitting next to him. 

“Yeah, I’m sure, Mike.”, Joanna replied 

“Well, I just don’t want it to be said that I made you do something you didn’t want to do,” He said with a sweet smile.

“Silly, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to do this,” she said as she gave him a small peck on his cheek.

“I brought protection with me if you think we’ll need it,” And with that he pulled a small package out of his coat and showed it to her.

“Oh put that away. If I thought we needed it I would have told you to bring it.”, she said as she pushed his hand away. 

“Well, we should get started. Let’s get our coats off first,” Mike said with a smile. 

They remove their coats and she opened the door on her side of the car and got out.

“By the way, babe,” he said as he got out on his side, “you look great tonight.”

“Thanks, I bought this dress just for you.”, she said as she smoothed out the black with white skull covered dress

“Ah, it wouldn’t fit me though.” He said as he came around to the front of the car and dodged a soft punch to his arm for his remark.

“So, how didja hear about this party again.”, Joanna asked as they started towards the sounds of a party.

“Alan from my poli-sci class told me about it. I told him that I was looking for something to do tonight and he said that he and his house mates throw a party at least once a month. Later he asked if I thought we’d like to come and I asked if I could bring a date. He said ‘that would be sweet’. So, here we are.” Mike said as he walked up to the 'frat' house that Alan and some of his friends had started a few months ago after a few of them had been kicked out or left their previous frats. 

As they got to the door Michael reached up to knock and heard someone inside yell “come on in”, so he opened the door and nearly walked right into another door. 

'Another door? What in the world is another door doing so close and when did doors start wearing Rustlers and football jerseys?', Mike thought as he looked at a guy that had to be nearly eight feet tall. 

“Ah, you must be Michael. Alan said he invited some new people to the party tonight. Let me get him for you.” The human door said as he turned and softly whispered, “Hey, Alan, your guests are here.”

“What an idiot,” Michael thought, “There is no way that Alan could him whispering like that over the music.”

“Hey, Michael, glad to see you made it, amigo. Yo T, thanks for the heads up, man, but I heard them come in.”, Alan called back as he walked towards them. The music seemed to follow him. 

“How in the world do you hear anything over this music?”, Mike yelled as he could barely hear himself think. 

“Sorry man,” Alan said as he closed his eyes for a minute, he slowly reopened his eyes as the volume lowered, “Is that better?”

“How the… what’s goin on here Alan?”, Mike said still stunned over the size of the guy and how

“It’s a party, man. Tell you what why don’t I introduce you around. You’ve met Tyrone,” Alan said pointing to the giant Mike had mistaken for a door, he continued as he started to walk towards a large group of people dancing in one of the corner, “and you know Kevin and Stacey from poli-sci...”

“Hey Mike.”, Kevin said as he twirled Stacey around and they continued to dance. 

“And over here is Erin and Max,” Alan said as he pointed over to a couple dancing a little too slow for the music. 

Michael nearly laughed as he looked at them. Max appeared to have on cowboy boots, jeans and a Guns~N~Roses t-shirt while Erin was in a plaid skirt and a button up shirt that was more than a quarter of the way unbuttoned. But that was not what made him nearly laugh, it was the fact that Erin also appeared to have on a cowboy hat that was about three sizes to big. 

“The hat’s Max’s.” Alan said with a little laugh in his voice as he looked the couple over. “Yo Max, Erin. I got a couple of people I want you to meet. This is Michael, the guy I told you I invited from my poli-sci class and this is, um,” Alan said as he turned to Joanna for the first time, “oops I don’t think I caught your name?”

“The name's Joanna.” She said with a slight smile.

“Glad to meet you, Joanna.” Alan said with a smile. “I was distracted by keeping the party going or I would have never over looked such a beautiful flower as yourself.” Alan then took her hand and kissed it lightly.

“Oh, stop it Alan, you know she’s here with your amigo,” said someone in the corner.

“C’mon, Pat, can’t a guy have a little fun.” Alan said with a wink, “just because you can’t get the ladies doesn’t mean the rest of us have to play chaste.”

“Go bite a rat’s tail you idiot!”, the guy from the corner continued. 

“C’mon out of the shadows so I can introduce you to Mike and Joanna.”, Alan said as he looked towards the voice.

“Eh, Whatever.” He said as he walked out Mike instantly recoiled as he stared at Pat’s lightly green skin and obvious mutations. He started to walk over to the small group when he saw the look Micheal gave him.

“What are you?”, Mike said as he backed away from the lizard looking kid, “Get away from me you freak.”

“Well you're no fashion model yourself,” Pat said as he looked Mike up and down. 

“Mike, what's wrong with you?”, Joanna asked.

“”Don't you see, he's one of those demon spawn Reverend Abbot has been talking about on the radio.”, Mike said as continued to back away grabbing Joanna as he went, “I bet that big guy over there is another one, no one can grow that big naturally.”

“Whoa, chill man.”, Alan said as he walked towards his classmate, “Abbot has it all wrong, no one here has been touched by demons. He's just some fear monger who wants to make a name for himself by attacking a new minority.”

“Yeah, Mike this isn't like you.”, Joanna said as she pulled away from him. 

“I'm sorry if I don't want to be around those that can kill you just by looking at you or something worse even,” Mike said with a panicked look in his eyes.

“Look man, this isn't cool. I invited you cause after hearing your stance on King and X, the civil rights movement, and all that, I thought you'd be ok with us.”, Alan said shocked.

“Us, you me you're one of them too?”, Mike said backing away from Alan now also, “How many of these people are freaks like you? Are any of these people real people?” 

“We're all real people Mike. Sure some of us are physically different now than we were a few months ago, but we're all still people.” Alan said as he continued to 

“And you actually thought I would want to hang out with these freaks?”, Mike said with a look of disgust. 

“That really surprises you,” Pat said as he stepped towards Mike, “one of my gifts is the ability to detect other like me. I mean you brought one of us to the party.”

As he realized what Pat said, Mike turned and looked at Joanna with horror on his face. 

**Mystery Shack later that night**

Dipper slowly started coming around. Wendy had finally healed enough that she felt it was safe to power down awhile ago. Seeing him stir she got up and walked over to him. As she got closer he reverted from Shifter back into Dipper. She sat down and pulled his head into her lap. She began running her hand through his hair, happy that he was finally better. 

“What happened?”, Dipper finally said as he looked up into her green eyes, “Last I remember you had gotten shot during the convoy ambush.”

“Yeah I did, but you took me and brought me home.” Wendy said looking down at her boyfriend, “While you were doing it you gave me some of yourself and you took on most of my pain.”

“It saved you didn't it?”, Dipper said with a small smile.

“Yeah, and it nearly killed you.”, Wendy said hitting him in his good shoulder.

“Ow, I'm still injured here.”, Dipper said with a smile.

“That's why I hit your good shoulder, dork.”, Wendy said as she leaned down and kissed him.

**Tambry's Lair**

As she sat down at her bank of computers, Tambry prepared to look up any and all information on the ambush on the military convoy earlier today. She wanted to find out all she could about the group that shot her best friend. Her good mood from earlier lasted through dinner, the good faded as soon as she had heard from the gang.

“Tab, I need anything you can find about an attack on an army convoy earlier today. It was about twenty miles out of town,” Tambry said as brought up her screens, “Bring in Asta and anyone else you think can help, Wendy was shot during it and I want to find out who is responsible.”

'Yes mi'lady. How doth Lady Gwendolyn fare? Didst she require medical assistance?', Tab's bubble said as his icon's face showed concern.

“Her healing factor and some assistance from Dipper saved her, but from what I was told it nearly cost him his life.”, Tambry said with a small catch in her throat, “At one time I didn't think he was worth a second look and now he's saved her life countless times, usually at a greater risk to his own.”

'Truly a man of honor in both name and title, so for Sir Dipper and Lady Gwendolyn I shall move mountains if need be to find the information you seek.' Tab's bubble read.

Asta's icon ran quickly up to the front of the screen and her bubble flashed up, 'Hey toots, I'm here for ya. We'll find out everything we can. I hope the other kiddos are ok.”

Suddenly a third icon strutted up to the front of the screen. This one was a little jet black devil in a white zoot suit, swinging a watch on a chain as he walked. “Hey there chickie pie, names Jette. My boy Tab here told me you had a security issue the last time you went searching, so he thought I might be able offer my services.” 

“Thanks, but right now I'm looking for info. A friend of mine was injured today and I want to find out everything I can about the people who did it,” Tambry said with an anger that she has rarely shown, quickly realizing she was snapping at the wrong people she calmed down and said, “I'm sorry, today was just going so good till I heard about this attack. She's been my best friend since we were kids. And now not only was she shot, but the guy she loves is hurt because he risked himself to save her.”

'That's some heavy stuff you're laying down there chickadee. Now I'm no good at getting the down low, but I can make sure no chucklehead puts a kibosh to your work dolly.' Jette's balloon read as he flipped his watch into the air and it landed in his pocket. 

“Well then, let's get crackin'.”, Tambry said as her fingers started flying over her keyboard.

**Mystery Shack  
Clondike Twins Room**

Francis was sitting on his bed as Tony paced back and forth, as he he nears the outer wall for what seemed like the fiftieth time he lashed out a punched it. 

“Dang it, I should have been there.”, he said as he turned from the wall, “If I was there it may not have happened. Wendy may not have gotten hurt and Dipper in turn wouldn't have been hurt.” 

“You don't know that brother. If you were there it may have been you that got shot,” Francis said in a worried tone.

“That would have been better,” Tony replied as he turned towards his brother, “I can take stuff happening to me, but this happened to my family and I wasn't there to help them.” 

“I know T. But you have to know that even if you weren't there in body, we all knew you were there in spirit.”, Francis said as he got up and walked over to his brother.

“We really just got our family, I don't want to lose them.”, Tony said as his brother pulled him into a hug. 

“And we wouldn't want to lose you,” Mabel said as she and Pacifica stood in the doorway.

**Lexington, KY  
Stucker's Fine Jewels**

The quiet night was shattered as a loud burglar alarm blared. Two masked men ran out of the store each carrying a sack full of jewels and assorted jewelery. As they run down to the end of the street where they had parked their get away car the one in the lead suddenly runs into a guy that had dropped down in front of him. As soon as he saw his partner fall the second robber stopped and stared at the man he had run into. He wasn't that tall, in fact his partner should have bowled him right over. And man did this guy have some weird taste in fashion. He was wearing a sleeveless turquoise shirt & gray pants. He also had on a black domino mask, hair that matched his shirt, and ten different colored metallic arm bands, five on each bicep. Currently the orange one on his right arm was glowing.

“Man, I'm in town for one night and someone has to try and rob a place.”, The strangely dressed man said. 

“Who, what are you?”, the jewel thief said as he reached into his pocket to pull out a weapon.

“Do you really want to do that? I just want to make this quick so I don't get caught up in all the police hassle,” the hero said as the red band on his left arm started to glow. Once thief completely pulled the gun out of his pocket, a ray of intense heat flew from the hero's left hand and made the gun to hot to hold.

By now the other thief had recovered, he jumped up and swung a punch at the strangely garbed man. The punch connected, but problem was it felt like he had punch a solid brick wall. He felt bones breaking.

The orange band stopped glowing and the silver one on the same arm started to glow, “Now boys the police will be here any second, so why don't you two quiet down and wait for them.”

No sooner had he said that he lifted his right hand and snapped his fingers. The sound hit the two criminals like a sonic boom, knocking them off of their feet. Hearing the sirens he left the two criminals and their stolen loot on the ground as the silver band stopped glowing and the white one started. Once it was fully glowing he took off into the air. 

**Portland, OR  
Hirsch Army Reserve Base**

The base brig was holding the militia members involved in the ambush until the FBI came to pick them up in the morning. The base commander had tripled the guards until the prisoners were released incase any of their friends tried to do something stupid. Fortunately the militia had already written the men and the woman in charge off. Unfortunately for them someone else had not.

The leader of the rag tag militia group was held in a separate section of the brig seeing as she was female. Currently the guards outside her door were temporarily unaware of anything going on in their surrounding area.

She was laying on the provided bed when she heard, “I want everything you know about today's ambush?”

Opening her eyes she saw a man in all black standing over her. He had long brown pulled back into a pony tail. As she looked at him she felt that something was off, something extremely eerie, something to do with his smile. Then she looked into his eyes and she felt herself falling. In moments she was telling him everything she knew. And after he left she had forgotten all about him. 

No more than twenty minutes after he left, the guards snapped to attention as a tall man in an officer's uniform walked up to them. The Lieutenant walked up to the guards with a folded set of orders and addressed them, “At ease men. I'm Lieutenant Leliti, from the Intelligence division. I'm here to question the leader of this group to find out how they knew about the weapon shipment.”

“But sir, we're under orders to not let anyone in until the feds get here in the morning.”, one of the guards replied.

“And I'm here under orders from Captain Bishop to question the prisoner to assure there isn't a leak on the base, do I need to call him and have him tell you in person that he sent me here or are you going to listen to a superior officer and the orders he has and let me in to see the prisoner.”, the Lieutenant barked at the soldier.

“Yes sir, sorry sir. Right this way.”, the soldier responded as he pointed out the way for the officer to go. 

Lieutenant Liliti walked down the hall and as he got to the door of the leader of the ambushers the form of the Lieutenant flowed seamlessly into that of the Black Knight, Noch'. Opening the cell door she walked over to the prisoner and spoke, “Now you don't know it little one, but your rag tag group nearly upset two decades of my Mistress' careful planning. This displeased her greatly and for that someone must pay. And since you lead the attack, that someone is you.”

**Nate's House**

Nate and Thompson were sitting in the game room playing a round of Field Ops. 

“I want to thank you and Lee again for helping me get her out of there,” Thompson said as he was killed again in the game, “Her uncle is trying to make her quit everything she cares for; her job, school, me.”

“Man how could we say no, you are one of us and she has been good to and for you.”, Nate said as he sniped another enemy soldier, “Besides after what you told us that Tambry found out, we had to help.” 

“The big problem is keeping him from showing up at school or her work to try and force her back home,” Thompson added while his character was running though an empty building to get under cover. 

Alexa walked into the room eating a sandwich she had just made and sat next to Thompson. After she swallowed the bite, she said, “Like I said Joey, I'm going call in sick to school tomorrow, then try and call my mom, and failing that I'll file for emancipation if I have to. I have to get out of that house and away from him.” 

“You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to,” Nate said pausing the game, “Since I'm the only one living here there are plenty of bedrooms available.” 

“Thanks for the help Nate,” Alexa said with a smile.

“Hey, Thompson is family and helping is what families do.”, Nate said before he resumed the game. 

**Mystery Shack  
Kitchen**

Stan and Ford are sitting at the dining room table drinking some expired apple juice. 

“These kids are gonna be the death of me Ford,” Stan grumbled before he took another deep gulp.

“I know what you mean Ley, but we couldn't stop them even if we wanted to.”, Ford said drumming his fingers as he took a drink, “the best we can do is try to make sure they are prepared for what they'll face and support them in their endeavors.”

“I have to admit, I'm proud of the kid. He really manned up today, I don't know exactly how he did it but he did everything he could to save Wendy. I guess my toughening him up this summer had a positive affect on him after all,” Stan said with a wry grin on his face.

“It was either that or love,” Ford replied, “I've known men who did some stupid stuff for love before, Ley.” 

“Knowing Dipper, it was probably both.” Stan chuckled before he finished off his drink and poured himself another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 52 is in the books. We have the aftermath of Dipper's sacrifice. We have a couple of instances that shows the GH crew are not the only heroes in the US. We get a little Wendip moment. Tambry's reaction to the incident. Tony's reaction to the incident. Another peek at a non GH hero. Not one but two different people visiting the leader of the ambush. We find out where Alexa went and what she plans on doing. I even snuck in a lil bit of the Stans there. 
> 
> Watched the first two Librarian movies as I wrote the first part of this, it is actually one of a couple AU ideas I've been pondering: Librarian AU, Pokemon AU, Negima AU, among a few other's. The Librarian storyline works great for Dipper and the crew. Probably would be based more along the lines of the Librarians tv series more so than the movies, only because that way I could fit in more characters. The Pokemon one comes from both my love for the game and several great pieces of fan art. My youngest and I keep trying to figure out who would have what Pokemon and who would be the gym leaders and what not. The Negima is just one I'd want to do out of fun. Figuring out all of the different pactios would be interesting. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-5 3-1-20 3-15-13-5-19 15-21-20 15-6 20-8-5 2-1-7 19-15-15-14.


	53. Chapter 53

** Chapter 53 **

**Gillian's Hideout**

James was seated watching the news on a portable TV he picked up after he and Gillian got back from watching the end of the ambush. They were going to go out tomorrow to pick up better supplies. Right now he mainly wanted to catch up on the news of the attack. Luckily the TV up the local channels. 

“And in local news, a military convoy headed to the Hirsch Army Reserve base in Portland was attacked by members of a local militia. Thanks to video provided by a couple hiking near the incident we can clearly see the ambush was prevented by a group of costumed people that included the four responsible for stopping the bank robbery last week. Reports also have confirmed that one of these heroes is the same armored man that saved local business man Preston Northwest from an attack by a former employee back at the beginning of the month. We'll have more information on these incidents tonight during the eleven o'clock news. This is Sandra Jimenez for Gravity Falls News. Good Night.”

“So these 'heroes' have been working around here for a little bit,” Gillian said as she walked into the room. 

“Yeah, they seem to be doing a lot of good for the area.”, James said looking at Gillian, “Maybe we should just leave the items with them, we can always find another one that should work.”

“We'll see, I still want to meet the new bearer of the Tome and make sure she is worthy.”, Gillian said as she turned and walked out of the room.

**Valentino Household**

Janice and Gregory Valentino had just finished watching the evening news while waiting for Robbie to return home. Gregory headed up t bed as he had to run to Portland in the morning to pick up a customer who wanted to be buried with the rest of his family. This left Janice alone to think. While as parents they were happy to see him returning to his old self, appearance wise at least, she was upset that he had been spending more and more time away from home. At least his new girlfriend seemed to be a good influence on him, but really so was Tambry. Janice really wanted to know where that relationship went wrong. 

“I'm home,” Robbie called as he came in the front door. 

“Robert dear, could you come in here.”, Janice called back to her son. 

“Alright mom,” he said as he walked into the living room, “What can I do for you?”

“I just want to talk for a bit, is that ok?”, Janice said as she pointed towards towards the empty seat near the end of the sofa. 

“Sure mom,” Robbie said as he sat down to talk to her, “Have I done anything wrong?”

“Well, other than staying away from home too much recently. No, I can't say that you have.”, Janice said looking over at her son, he had changed so much recently. He was showering more often, back to wearing respectable clothes again, had cleaned his room so much she could serve dinner off of the floor, and he even started to listen to what she and her husband had to say. 

“I'm sorry about that mother, I'm just spending time with my new friends. If you want I can make sure to be home at a better time,” Robbie said as he looked over at his mother, “I'm really just trying to grow better so when I do leave the house I will know how to care for myself. Blair is helping me look into some college courses.”

“That's real responsible of you Robert, I'm glad to hear you're finally taking your studies serious.”, Janice said as she looked over at her son. 

“Thanks mom, I just want to make sure I have the best future that I can.” Robbie said as he looked his mother in the eyes. 

“Sounds good dear,” Janice said as her mind began to slowly fog over for moment then it became clear again, “With that attitude honey, I guess it's ok for you to stay out as long as you need as long as you make it to school and continue to get good grades.”

“Oh, thank you mom. I will do my best, I don't want to disappoint you or dad.”, Robbie said with a smile as he started to get up.

“Just remember honey, we have a funeral Sunday so we need the grave dug before Saturday evening.”, Janice said as she remembered her husbands trip tomorrow. 

“You got it,” Robbie said as he went up the stairs towards his room. 

**Mystery Shack**

The Pines twins were up in their room after Wendy and Pacifica had finally left for the evening, Dipper had insisted on helping them with their homework after they had stayed with him till he was better. The twins were now double checking their backpacks for their first day at Forsythe Middle School. Mabel was making sure she had a basic set of art supplies, a couple of notebooks, folders, and of course her grappling hook. This was all stuffed into her magenta backpack adorned with the shooting star that had become synonymous with her. Dipper also loaded up on notebooks and folders but added in a small mag light with a shard of the size changing crystal and a thin collapsible baton that was the size of a pen. Just cause they were known in town didn't mean they may not have enemies. There had been to many 'coincidences' recently and the last veiled threat from Robbie to not be prepared. 

“Do you think Pacifica will be ok?”, Mabel finally asked her brother, after her attempted facade of cheerfulness fell. 

“I don't know, walking into your home to find nearly every bit of evidence that you lived there was gone has to hurt.”, Dipper said remembering his friend describing how after she had found her room empty she had walked through the house and only found three items in the whole house that still proved she was part of the household. There were two family paintings that had cost a small fortune to commission and after a quick bit of safe cracking, well not really she had the combination since they had moved into the new manor, she had found her birth certificate. She had just made it to McGucket's when the call came about the ambush. When asked about everything she had lost, she had said she had moved most of her important items to McGucket's anyways. Especially the sweaters Mabel had made for her. 

“All I know is we're gonna have to be there for her. And I mean all of us,” Mabel said thinking about her girlfriend and how she had only told the two of them and Wendy so far.

“I'd hate to be Preston once Stan and Ford find out about this,” Dipper said with a chuckle. This statement brought a small smile to Mabel's face. 

“Yeah, they've become as protective over her as they are over us.”, Mabel's smile warmed up thinking about how the family had already accepted Pacifica. If they had had the room she would have moved her right into the Shack tonight, but they were running out of room as it was. 

“Alright, we need to be getting to bed. We have to get up early starting tomorrow,” Dipper said being pragmatic about them starting back to school. 

They both laid down but neither of them went to sleep, they both had their phones out and were texting their significant other a good night.

**Mystery Shack Wednesday November 27th, 2012, 6:30 AM**

Despite having set up their backpacks the night before the twins were still rushing around trying to get dressed and grab some breakfast. Tony and Francis were chuckling as they watched their cousins run around like a pair of chickens with their heads cut off after Tony had changed the alarm on their clock after they had went to sleep. Mabel also had to send Wildbill back down to Piedmont so he could keep an eye on their dad. He had stayed the night to make sure nothing would happen, he seemed to pull another night of patrolling the outskirts of the Shack though as the twins hadn't seen him all night. Stan drove the four of them to school after he had a good chuckle at the prank himself. They probably could have walked but Stan had to come to finish filling out paperwork as their temporary guardian. Adam would have to come refill some of the paperwork once he had moved up to town. 

“That was totally not cool Tony,” Mabel said as she brushed her hair during the trip to school.

“I dunno, watching the two of you trip over yourselves after you two made such a big deal about having made sure you 'had everything ready' last night was funny to me.” Tony said still chuckling. He pulled out his phone and sent Tambry a text wishing her a good day at school. 

When they pulled up they saw Candy and Grenda waiting at the edge of the parking lot. Mabel and Francis headed straight towards the girls with Mabel hugging the two girls and then Candy took Francis' hand afterwords. When Dipper and Tony walked up and said hi to them. A few moments later Pacifica showed up wearing a purple sweater Mabel had made for her while the twins were in Piedmont. After Mabel and Dipper got a hug from her, Mabel's a little longer of course, Stan reminded them they still had to go in and get their schedules. Leaving their cousins and friends they headed on into the school going towards the office. After they entered the office Stan went over to a desk to fill out the paperwork while a secretary behind the counter took their names.

“Alright, let's see. Well I have a Mabel Pines,” the secretary said as she typed their names into her computer, when she was done she pulled a piece of paper out of her printer. Looking at Mabel she handed her the paper and turned to Dipper and said “but no Dipper Pines.”

Dipper sighed before he said, “Try Marlon.”

“Ah, there it is.”, she said as she pulled the printed sheet out and handed it to him, “And you're gonna need to take the hat off in class, Marlon.”

“Thank you,” Dipper said as if she had been talking to him like he was a two year old. 

He and Mabel started out of the door before they turned and said, “See you later Grunkle Stan.” 

“Have a good one Kiddos,” Stan said not even looking up from the paperwork. 

Once they were out in the hall they compared their schedules. They both had the same first class, English Lit, and the same lunch. From what they remembered the others saying it looked like they all were together for lunch. Dipper had Applied Sciences and Phys Ed like he did in Piedmont but he also seemed to have been placed into Music Appreciation class, a Spanish class, and an Pre-Calculus class even though he tested out of Calculus back in Piedmont. He should have been in Trigonometry, but he guess the school didn't have it. Mabel on the other hand had Home Ec, a pottery class. and French added to her schedule and had lost her drawing class. Overall they seemed ok with their schedules, now they just needed to figure out where the classes were located. 

**Gravity Falls High School**

Wendy was walking up the front steps with Tambry while the guys were all together with Nate and Lee staying close to Thompson and watching out for the jerk who had jumped him last night. Thompson and Nate told the others about Alexa when they had first gathered and Tambry offered to do what she could to help out. She then had intentionally stayed back a bit so she could talk to Wendy.

“Alright I looked into the group who shot you last night and left the program running over night. It turns out they were some whacked out militia who took Weirdmageddon as some sign of an upcoming war and were trying to gather weapons to defend themselves,” Tambry whispered, they still had a good twenty minutes before class so the girls stayed outside to talk. Making sure they were still alone she continued, “It seems the woman who led the attack committed suicide last night in her cell. And the really weird thing is the rest of the militia, all of the members that weren't involved in the attack, showed up this morning at the State Patrol office closest to their camp and turned themselves in as accomplices to the attack. There were thirty five of them including their leader who has been on the governments watch list for nearly a decade. And they brought mountains of evidence with them. It was surreal.” 

“Whoa,” Wendy said in hushed tones, she was wondering who had gotten to them. She had been planning on trying to visit them once Tambry had hunted down some information but it seems someone had beat her to it. She was about to comment when Tambry's phone went off. 

Tambry smiled as she looked down at the message and sent back a quick reply. When she was done she turned back to her friend and she a smirk of Wendy's face. “What?”

“Oh nothing,” Wendy said as she shot her friend a knowing look, “So I've been meaning to ask you, how did your 'talk' go yesterday?”

“Fine,” Tambry replied trying to stay as cool as her friend normal seems. 

“Only fine? That's not what I heard,” Wendy said causing Tambry to blush.

“What? Wait, who did you hear that from?”, Tambry said feeling the blush coming to her cheeks, “Tony didn't say anything last night did he?”

“No, no. He was as silent as a tomb about it last night, Francis couldn't even get him to say anything. I heard it from you,” Wendy said with a smile.

“I didn't tell you anything or you wouldn't be asking now,” Tambry said the blush remaining on her cheeks

“Well mostly it was from your voice last night before I told you that I had been shot,” Wendy said, “Add that to the smile on your face after a text this early in the morning from Tony and I'm guessing things maybe be good.”

“You know, I wish you couldn't read upside down.”, Tambry replied somewhat embarrassed.

“Nah, I just recognized his hair do on the contact pic.”, Wendy commented. She was enjoying this, remembering how Tambry had grilled her about Dipper back in October. Imitating Mabel she asked, “So how did things go? Were you two looking soulfully into each other eyes the entire time?” 

“Well, we decided to try things out. But go slow about it, you know, since I'm straight out of a relationship and it would be his first. We don't want to rush into things,” Tambry said knowing she couldn't really hide too much from her oldest friend. She still was blushing enough to make a stop light look dull. 

“Look, chill Tambers. I'm just busting your chops like you did to me, back before me and Dipp got together.”, Wendy said trying to calm her friend down before they headed inside. 

“Thanks,” Tambry replied sarcastically. Wondering when her friend became so nosy she continued, “Actually it nearly didn't happen at all.”

“Really? What happened?”, Wendy seriously asked.

“Well he walked into Yumberjacks with someone else. I didn't know why at the time, but I was was upset enough I nearly left and probably would have if he hadn't seen me.” Tambry said as she recalled how things went, “It ended up being a classmate who was meeting her brother, but until I found it out I was jealous. Once we started talking things just sort of clicked, especially after that jerk Sylvester tried hitting on me right in front of Tony. Tony was about to go off on him but I just told him I wasn't interested and sent him away.”

As they started heading towards the entrance Tambry bumped into Sylvester, he took one look at her and broke into a sprint to get inside.

“What was that about?” Wendy asked as they watched him go.

**Forsythe Middle School**

Tony headed into his drafting class. He waved at Pacifica and headed back to the terminal he and Mary shared. As he sat down he saw Mary didn't seem to have her normal smile today. He was about to ask what was wrong when she spoke up.

“Alright we need to figure out where we need to put the fireplace,” she said matter-a-factly. 

“Uhm, probably in the living-room on the inside wall.”, Tony replied. He looked over at his partner in this project and wondered what he had done wrong, they had seemed to be friends yesterday when went to meet her brother at Yumberjacks. He looked at her and asked. “Are you ok? You seem upset.”

“Oh, I'm fine. I just want to get this project done,” she said somewhat curtly, “What about the windows, how big should we make the ones in the living room?”

“Uhm, how about a bay window in the front wall and an eighteen by thirty-two in the kitchen.”, he replied still thrown off. He thought for a moment and realized that once the project was done they'd be assigned new partners as a way to get people to be able to work in different situations. With this in mind he asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

“I dunno, maybe you should ask the old lady you were with yesterday.”, Mary said in a hurt tone.

“Whoa, where did that come from?”, he asked loud enough that Pacifica looked back at him, but it looked like Mr. Arkay hadn't heard him. 

“Look, just drop it. Let's get back to work,” Mary said resignedly.

“No, com'on talk to me. I thought we'd became friends over the last couple of days.”, Tony almost plead. 

“That's part of the problem, it's my luck. Yeah. We've become friends. You're a nice guy, Tony, better than most of the jerks here.”, Mary said in hushed tones after seeing Pacifica was keeping an eye on her friend. She seemed to be trying to keep from tearing up as she continued, “I guess I'm just upset. I meet a nice guy and just as I was thinking about asking him out, I see him with someone else.” 

“I didn't know Mary, I'm sorry about that.”, Tony responded actually sorry. He was starting to feel like a heel for not noticing her interest earlier, but really he's only known her for two days. 

“It's not your fault. I should have known a guy as good as you would already be taken.”, she said still fighting to hold back her tears, with a wry smile she asked, “Are there anymore like you at home?”

“Well you've already met my twin and I have two cousins. But I'm sorry to say that they're all taken too,” He replied with a sad smile as he tried to keep her from crying, even though he really had no idea what to do. 

“Well just my luck then,” She said as she turned back to the screen before she continued, “Look, let's just get back to work.”

“Alright, but we can talk at lunch if you want.”, Tony said as he tried to get focused back on the project. He didn't notice the look of triumph that flickered in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 53 is is the books. We start out with James watching the news and trying to change Gillian's mind about going after the Tome and Amulet. Robbie's mom tries to talk to him about coming home so late. Next the Pines twins are preparing for their first day at the new school and talk about Pacifica's situation. The next day finds Tony pranking them in the morning. They then compare schedules and still have a class and lunch together. Wendy and Tambry talk about the previous day. And Tony finds Mary is upset with him in drafting class. 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 19-20-1-18'19 12-9-20-20-12-5 19-5-12-6 9-19 1-12-12 20-21-3-11-5-18-5-4 15-21-20.


	54. Chapter 54

** Chapter 54 **

**Forsythe Middle School  
Cafeteria**

Dipper and Mabel sat down with Pacifica, Grenda, Candy, and Francis after they had gotten their lunch with Mabel grabbing a slice of pizza while Dipper got a sloppy joe. They noticed Tony coming towards the table with some dark haired girl the twins didn't recognize. Tony introduced the girl as Mary and mentioned that she was in his Drafting class along with Pacifica.

“So who heard about the attack on the military convoy last night?”, Mary asked after she had sat down. 

“Yeah, that was wild.”, Grenda called back, “Imagine that real life super heroes were that close to Gravity Falls.”

“Yeah, it's so cool that we've got some here in the area.”, Mary replied, “It makes me feel so much safer. Especially after, well never mind all that.”

“The heroes could have been helpful back then,” Candy added into the conversation, “But my friends were able to handle the disaster.”

“Oh, that's right you three,” Mary said looking over at Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica before she continued, “were part of the group that took out the thing that caused all of the problems.”

Dipper went shy at the mention of the defeat of Bill. He really didn't want to start having to worry about people liking him due to fame like had happened back in Piedmont. 

“We were there also,” Grenda said as she gave Candy a friendly pat on her back, “I was the one to blind the nacho chip so everybody could get in to do the rescue.”

“Whoa cool,”Mary said looking at Grenda with some respect, “Ok, in no way am I gonna make you mad girl.”

Grenda chuckled some at the comment. 

Pacifica looked up from her food and saw her old hanger-ons heading towards their table. They hadn't really spoken to her much since Weirdmageddon, even though Sabine had been one of the refugees that had been in the shack. 

“Why there she is, the former miss thing. Now she's nothing but a homeless girl.”, Tiffany said as the girls neared the table. 

“Yeah, mommy and daddy kicked her out of the house. The poor little girl.”, Sabine said clicking her tongue as she went. 

“What are you talking about?”, Candy asked as she went to move between her friend and her tormentors.

“Aww, you didn't tell your friends yet?”, Tiffany said she pulled a newspaper from behind her back. Tossing the Gossiper on the table she smirked as she said, “here read this.'

The headline read 'Northwest heir disinherited over alternative lifestyle'. Under the headline was a picture of Pacifica and Mabel kissing, from the looks of their clothing the picture was from the day of the funeral. 

“Ok, this is low even for the Gossiper.”, Grenda said. 

“So this is what you are trying to embarrass me with?”, Pacifica said looking at her former lackeys. Raising her voice enough to be heard by nearly everyone in the cafeteria she continued, “Well guess what, I don't care what you guys think about it. I love Mabel Pines and if you don't like it, tough.” 

Once she was finished she looked over at Mabel and then kissed her in front of the whole cafeteria to the cheers of her friends.

**The Bunker**

Fiddleford was sitting down in the new kitchen area after he tested out the stove by making several grilled cheese sandwiches for Ford, Testosteraur, and himself. While he and Ford had two each on their plates, Testosteraur had the rest of the loaf on his. 

“Ya know I reckon it's gonna get boring once we get this here place done. I've been havin fun puttin it all together, dagnabbit.”, Fiddleford said around a mouth full of grilled cheese. 

“Well there are a few projects I've been planning on working on, you may be able to help out some.”, Ford said after he swallowed the bite he had taken, “They kids are going to need a mode of transportation other than Mabel's teleportation. I've been drawing up some schematics while I've been down in the lab. I've been looking over the specs for the military's Heater jeep from a few years ago and I believe we can take that design and improve it. First get rid of it's reliance of fossil fuels, make sure it's armor is able to take hits as good as the Charger armor, etc.”

“Hmm, why dat's a great idea.”, Fiddleford replied as he scratched his head, “I'm guessin I could come up with a coupla gadgets to help out on it.”

“You may also wish to make them an aerial mode of conveyance,” Testosteraur said after he swallowed his last sandwich whole. He looked up and saw the two scientists looking at him in shock. Chuckling he continued, “What, I may be mostly muscle but even I know that it is faster to fly long distances than to travel on hoof.” 

“Why'n that's a good point there,” Fiddleford said slapping the Manotaur on his arm. 

“Hmm, I suppose we could reverse engineer one of the security drones from the ship to create a plane of some sort.”, Ford said as he started to get up and pace a bit. He still had one and a half sandwiches on his plate. 

**Mystery Shack**

Stan was hunkered down in his chair watching TV. In respect to Melody, he has begun wearing pants while relaxing. It only took one instance of running into her in his boxers to cause him to change, he figured he'd just go to shorts when the summer comes. He was watching an episode of Cash Wheel and chuckled remembering his own appearance on the show. 

“Ok, I've got a few ideas I want to pass by you Mr. Pines.”, Soos said as he walked into the living room while bringing a ham sandwich and a can of Tubby Tusk Root Beer, “I have been trying to come up with a few ideas to use the taxidermied animals we bought from the Northwests auction. Maybe take the torso from the gorilla and attach it to the buck body as a variation of a centaur.”

“Sounds interesting,” Stan said around a bite of the ham sandwich, “Nest you need to come up with a good name and a hook for it, something to draw the mark to it. They need to really believe on what you're selling or the whole deal falls apart.”

“Sounds right,” Soos said as he rubbed his chin, “Alright. Here's another idea. Do you think Mr. Ford would be willing to get me one of those alien skeletons to set up in the Shack? You know the ones Dipper was talking about back when they started working on transforming the Bunker. I could set it up as some type of missing link or something.”

“Why kid, that's a great idea.”, Stan said getting up and walking over to Soos. He then gave him a big hug and said, “I'm so proud of you Soos, you're really growing into the role of Mr. Mystery.”

“Are you crying Mr. Pines?”, Soos asked as he hugged Stan back.

“Nah, just dust from the Shack kid,” Stan replied, “Just some dust.”

**Northwest Mudflaps  
Preston's Refurbished Office**

You could barely tell there had been a man wielding a flamethrower in the room a little over three weeks ago. There was a new mahogany desk, the walls were freshly painted even the smell of smoke had finally been removed. The other thing that was noticeable was removal of all the photos of his daughter. Preston was seated behind his desk while two gentlemen in pinstriped suits were seated across from him.

“Now Mr. Northwest, as your lawyer, I must advise you to rethink your decision. I know the city of Gravity Falls has more lax laws than the rest of the state but I'm not sure you are legally going to be able to do what you are proposing to do.”, the lawyer said as he held his briefcase in his lap. 

“Thank you Mr. Platt, I'll take that under advisement.”, Preston said in a dismissive tone before turning towards the other man, “Now Mr. Kendrick if I provide her with a stipend of two thousand a month until she is eighteen, will that allow us to circumvent the job requirement necessary for the emancipation process?”

“After going over the towns laws, I believe you will fall well within the legal limits as that would provide her with enough to cover her housing and food needs.”, Mr. Kendrick replied as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. 

“Good, good. And what about the other item I asked about?”, Preston said still looking at Mr. Kendrick. 

“Well Mr. Northwest, there is no legal way to force her to change her last name.”, Mr. Kendrick said nervously, “But if I may, you could offer her an additional amount to change her name.” 

“That may work,” Mr. Platt said, “But what is your reasoning? Why would you care about her keeping the name?”

“Because I don't want her to bring anymore more shame to my families name,” Preston said as he turned away from the two lawyers.

**Forsythe Middle School  
Cafeteria**

Tony gathered up everyone's tray and after dumping the trash all on one he carried the stack over towards the can and then set the trays on the on the collection island. As he was turning to head back he felt a hand grab him and pull him into the hall. As he turned he saw that it was Mary that had pulled him away. 

“You said we could talk at lunch time, but then we were stuck sitting with your family. I wanna talk about this I really didn't want to broadcast it like your cousins girlfriend did.”, Mary said looking down towards the floor shyly.

“Look. I'm extremely flattered you're interested in me,” Tony said almost feeling like he was back to being a Dipper clone again, the sweating palms and itchy neck. Calming down he continued, “but I just started a relationship and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it...”

The next thing he knew she had grabbed his collar and was kissing him. 

As he was trying to pull away heard someone call out, “Whoa, what's happening here Tony?”

She released him and Tony turned around to see Dipper staring at him.

“It's not what it looks like man,” Tony said backing away from Mary and looking at his cousin, who was dating his new girlfriend's best friend. 

Dipper shook his head as he walked away. 

Tony turned to look back at Mary and asked, “What in the world was that for?”

“I guess I just wanted to let you know what you were missing out on,” Mary quietly said before she ran off. Turning a corner she slowed down and started smiling.

**Gravity Falls High School**

Thompson had just left his Trigonometry class after the bell rang, his next class was his AP Science up on the fourth floor and usually he just made it to the room before the next bell. As he was leaving the stair well he was suddenly grabbed and thrown against the wall in the stair well. The back of his head hit the wall hard and he was dazed. 

“Where is she?”, a voice he vaguely recognized was yelled at him.

“Who?”, Thompson heard a voice he barely could tell was his own ask.

“You know who, now where is she?”, the other voice asked again before Thompson felt a solid punch hit him in the stomach. 

“Oof, I don't know what you're talking about.”, the voice Thompson seemingly remembered as his own replied.

“If this is true, then you are of no more use to me you insolent scum.”, the voice said before Thompson felt hands roughly grab him. 

The next thing Thompson felt was his feet leaving the ground. In a weird moment he then felt as if he was floating.

**Portland, OR  
Sprawlmart**

Inside the megastore Gillian and James were each pushing a cart as they grabbed items they would need while they were staying in Gravity Falls. Gillian's cart had a mini fridge and several items like towels and wash cloths. James cart held a modest sized TV, a crock pot, hot plate, and a small amount of food. The bottom of the cart held a twenty four pack of Pitt Cola and one of Tubby Tusk Root Beer.

“I've been thinking,” James said as they were walking through the store, “if you're really wanting to test the current holder, maybe we can see if the group would help us against the man in white that you were fighting in the clearing. He seemed to have many allies and it would never hurt for us to make some also.”

“Are you sure? You saw that they had a ghost among their numbers,” Gillian said in a hushed tone. 

“She was no ghost, I already vetted her. She's a spiritual protector of the woodlands,” James replied also in hushed tones. “Also think about it, if she had been a ghost the gunshot she took would not have harmed her.” 

“You vetted her? Did you attempt another exorcism with out me?”, Gillian asked with a little displeasure. 

“Yeah,” James said looking anywhere but at her, “I saw her at the bank robbery and set up a trap that given her look I figured would draw her out. I was right and she appeared. I had nearly completed the exorcism when the guy in the fedora appeared out of no where and attacked me. It was like he knew she was in trouble. She didn't have a chance to call anyone, but there he came. After kicking him off of the cliff we were at I was able to complete the exorcism and nothing happened. He attacked me again as we talked and she explained what she was. I left in the middle of his second attack.”

“So you're now proposing we try to ally with a group of people you have already upset?”, Gillian asked looking at the chagrined James.

“I never said it was a perfect idea,” James said with bothered look. But then his demeanor brightened as he said, “But if these guys know anything about super-heroics, they'll know that a lot of times you will fight with another hero before realizing they need to team up to take out a bigger threat.”

“That's the most idiotic thing I've heard,” Gillian replied. 

“Yeah, but that's how it works.”, James said with a smirk, “And if these guys are any type of comic book fans, we can use that to get them to help out.” 

“You know that just might work,” Gillian said looking over at her charge. 

**Forsythe Middle School 2:30 pm**

As soon as the bell rang Tony went running to find Dipper. He knew he had to clear this up with his cousin before this thing with Tambry was over before they really started. He rushed outside not even worrying about grabbing anything from his locker. He stood outside and waited till he saw his brother and the girls. He still hadn't seen Dipper. It seemed as if Francis was the only one willing to talk to him.

“Com'on guys, talk to me.”, Tony said as he kept a look out for Dipper. 

“Why should we, you two timer.”, Grenda said not even looking him in the face, she punched her hands together upset at him. 

“Whoa, that's not what happened.”, Tony replied finally looking towards them instead of looking for Dipper. Apparently he had already told the girls. 

“Sure it isn't, I heard the two of you talking in drafting.”, Pacifica commented unwilling to look at him. She took Mabel's hand as she continued, “She was all upset and she wanted to get with you. It was like she was all over you. And you seemed to be placating her.”

“I can not believe you are a clone of Dipper,” Candy whispered, “Even under Stan's guidance, he owned up to his mistakes and was repentant.”

“I tell you, I didn't do it.”, Tony said trying to keep his temper in check, this were his friends and family. 

“I don't believe you, you know Tambry's in an emotional fragile place.”, Mabel nearly yelled at him, “With her relationship with Robbie being over due to him cheating on her and then you go and do the same thing.” 

“I swear to you I didn't, she grabbed me and pulled me into the hall.”, Tony said 

“And you, one of the strongest of us, were pulled away by a little girl who can't weigh that much more than a hundred pounds?”, Dipper said from behind him.

“It's the truth man. I was you. You should know that I wouldn't do this. Heck man, I'll gladly take a lie detector.”, Tony said looking Dipper straight in the eyes. Then turning towards Mabel he whispered as he asked “Mabel do you have a spell that could tell you if I'm lying. I'm not wanting to mess this up. I like Tambry too much, she's a sweetheart. I know she's been through too much, I'd rather face the basilisk than hurt her.”

“He's telling the truth,” Mabel said finally, “I cast the spell before we walked up to him. I just wanted to make sure it was working right. His heart's pure right now, no falsehoods at all.” 

“That's what I've been telling you, I was telling her I was flattered but I had just started a relationship.”, Tony said looking over at his extended family, “The next thing I know she was kissing me and then you walked up.”

“Glad to hear it, I really hoped it was something like that. I didn't want to think that I could change that much,” Dipper said as he slapped Tony's shoulder. As he started to head on his phone went off, before he could answer it everyone got a text.

Deciding to get the text after the call, especially since it was Wendy calling, he answered. He no sooner got his hello out before he heard Wendy say, “It's Thompson. Someone threw him down a flight of stairs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 54 is in the books. While in the middle school cafeteria the crew get asked about their feelings about the ambush and the superheroes, get praised for their part in 'Never Mind All That', and find out about Pacifica's ordeal. After being teased by her former cronies, Pacifica comes out to the whole school by kissing Mabel. Ford, Fiddleford, and Testosteraur start planning on what to do after the Bunker is done. Some Stan Soos bonding fluff. More info on Preston's plans for Pacifica. Mary makes a move on Tony only to be rebuffed, but she kisses him anyways which is seen Dipper. Thompson is attacked. James talks to Gillian about trying to ally with the GH. Next the middle school crew confront Tony about the kiss. Finally they find out someone threw Thompson down some stairs and left on a landing between floors at school.
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 23-9-15 20-8-18-5-23 20-8-15-13-16-19-15-14 4-15-23-14 20-8-5 19-20-1-9-18-19?


	55. Chapter 55

** Chapter 55 **

**Forsythe Middle School**

Dipper is still on his phone with Wendy as the rest of the crew are reading the mass text from Tambry. As one they all seem to forget about what they were talking about just a moment ago. On reflex Francis and Grenda grab a hold of Tony's arms to keep him from rushing off after whoever attacked Thompson. 

“Alright we'll let the Grunkles and Soos know and then we'll get to the hospital asap,” Dipper said while waving for the others to keep quiet, “Wait, Lee and Nate are heading where before they go to the hospital?” 

“Guys, you can let go. I'm not going to run off and try to fight someone till I know who I'm going to fight.”, Tony said as he looked at his brother and Grenda, “Though we should probably ask Nate and Lee what the guy who attacked Thompson yesterday looks like.”

“Wait, Thompson was attacked yesterday?”, Mabel asked as she stopped looking in her art supplies to see if she had grabbed her get well stickers. 

“Yeah, someone gave him a swirly and was trying for a second one when Nate and Lee stopped him. It appeared to have something to do with him dating Alexa, or at least that's what Tambry thought. I'm surprised Wendy didn't say anything about.”, Tony explained. Remembering what the gang went through yesterday he face-palmed before he continued, “oh yeah that's right.”

“How are we going to get to the hospital?”, Candy asked looking around at her friends.

“I'll call my limo...”, Pacifica started before her face fell, “shoot, can't do that anymore.”

Mabel leaned over and hugged her. 

Suddenly Pacifica's face lit up, pulling her phone back out she started dialing. As she waited for the call to be picked up she said, “Come on, come on, answer.” 

Pacing she finally heard a voice, as she started to speak she stopped and ended to call. Turning back to the group she cursed, “Dang it. He must be down in the Bunker.” 

“Who?”, Grenda asked.

“McGucket, I was gonna see if he still had the Humvee. We could have all fit in it easily,” Pacifica answered.

“Who would have driven it? We all still have two and a half to three years before we can get our beginners, let alone our license.”, Francis pragmatically said.

“Alright guys, here's the deal.”, Dipper said now that he was off of the phone. Gathering everyone in a huddle he continued, “Nate and Lee are heading to Nate's house to check on and pick up Alexa. Apparently her uncle was being a royal pain so she crashed there last night. Wendy is going to get Tambry there her way. And I/m thinking we get a secluded spot and Mabel takes us close and we walk from there. Wendy gave me the rundown about yesterday. Nate and Lee gave Blubs the description of yesterday's attacker, but we'll get it from them when we see them.”

“How is he?”, Mabel asked. She just had her brother and future sis-in-law injured yesterday, she really didn't want to have another friend injured so quickly. 

“He was stable, but unresponsive.” Dipper said to the group. He looked around at them all before he stopped on Mabel and continued, “That's all Wendy could hear while she ghosted into the area to watch over him. As soon as we can get you a chance I want you in that room and working your magic, ok Mabs.” 

“Of course, he's one of us.”, Mabel replied in a deeply serious tone. Dipper and Pacifica noticed she seemed to be slipping back into the mood she was in after Patrick and Jacob had been attacked. 

They broke the huddle and started to look for some where they could go so no one would see them disappear. As they looked Dipper dialed the Shack.

**Nate's House**

Alexa was seated in the kitchen looking over her physics book to try and prepare for the test she knew the teacher had planned for tomorrow. As much as she wanted to try and stay away from any place her 'uncle' could find her, she knew the test was one of the ones the teacher said would go towards their final grades so she couldn't miss it. She had just flipped to the next page when she heard screeching tires coming from the drive way. Not knowing what exactly to expect she grabbed the knife she had used to chop up the head of lettuce Nate had in the fridge to prepare a salad to go with dinner tonight. Once done she slipped into the space between the fridge and the wall and hid. 

The front door opened with a rush and she heard two pairs of feet travel into the house. Though she was scared, she tried to hear if the people were saying something, vaguely she heard, “Where is she? She should be here.”

As she tried to recognize the voice she heard foot falls heading her way. As soon as she heard the sound pass her, she jumped out and wrapped an arm around the neck of the person and pulled him around towards the other person who was just coming around the corner. As she turned she said, “Back off, I've got your… Lee.”

Dropping the knife she realized the guy she had a choke hold on was Nate. She quickly let him go and quietly said, “I'm sorry, so sorry. I just heard the vehicle and thought he had found me.” 

“Well at least we know you can defend yourself if need be,” Nate said with a chuckle as he rubbed his throat.

“Look I hate to put a downer on this, but we came here to get her for a reason.”, Lee said sounding more serious than she remembered ever hearing him being before, “Something happened at school. Thompson was attacked.”

“Did that jerk jump him again?”, Alexa asked before she realized Joey would've just came with them if it was something that simple.

“No. I'm sorry to say this,” Nate said putting a hand on her shoulder before he continued, “Someone jumped him on his way to last class apparently. They found him on the landing in between the third and fourth floors after last period. He's been taken to Gravity Falls General Hospital. We knew you'd want to be there so we came to get you.”

Lee added, “And don't worry about your uncle, everybody is gonna be there and he'll have to fight his way through all of us to get to you.” 

“Ok, let me grab my backpack and we can head out.” Alexa said as he headed towards the bedroom she used last night, while Lee headed towards the truck.

Nate stood there for a moment trying to figure out where she had came from. He looked towards the top of the fridge, but no he would have heard her land. He looked at the only other place he could think of that would have allowed her to get behind him but dismissed it, there was less than two inches between the fridge and the wall. 

**Gravity Falls High School**

After Wendy as Will O' had teleported to the hospital to find a safe area to bring Tambry and herself. She tried an area she used to hide when she was younger and refused to visit her mother in the hospital because she didn't want to acknowledge she was losing her. Staying invisible she looked around the area to make sure it would be safe. While she had been gone Tambry was working on her phone asking Jette to watch over their appearance at the hospital and to make sure they didn't get caught on camera appearing out of nowhere. Asta offered to keep track of all police reports of the attack. Wendy returned and said it was all clear. 

**Gravity Falls General Hospital**

The girls appeared in the alcove, Wendy powered down and waited. While there they tried to figure out who may have attacked Thompson. They knew he was the type of guy who had no enemies in the world, at least until recently that is. It seemed to them that since he began dating Alexa he has been attracting trouble, first there was her uncle and then the guy who jumped him yesterday. 

“So right now it seems that our best bet is that who ever attacked him's reason had to do with her,” Tambry said while they were waiting so they wouldn't get to the hospital any quicker than the ambulance.

“That's my thinking,” Wendy replied looking at her friend, “the guys should be here soon and we'll confab some more and see what everyone else thinks.” 

“We should head out front and meet everyone. Knowing Dipper, they may already be here,” Tambry remarked with a weary smile. 

“Yeah, that sounds like my lil dork.”, Wendy nervously chuckled as the friends headed towards the front of the hospital. 

When they got to the front they saw the middle school crew off in the distance walking towards them. Wendy waved at them to let them know she saw them. Dipper rushed up to her and she surprised herself when she started to break down once he hugged her. 

Dipper was happy to see Tony walk up to Tambry and say, “We need to talk when this is over.” 

“Sure,” Tambry said worriedly, “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, just something happened at school that I don't want to keep from you. But right now checking on Thompson is more important.”, Tony said as he tentatively took her hand.

Their motley crew was just about to head in when they saw the truck Lee has been using pull into the parking lot. They waited till they saw the three get out of the truck and then they all headed in. 

**Piedmont, CA  
Pancake Den**

Wildbill was seated at a table with Antonio, they were working out all of the plans for Antonio to take over the gym and the company for the foreseeable future. He was eating a beef Manhattan, savoring the gravy and mash potatoes, while Antonio was eating a short stack. 

“I'm gonna miss this place,” Wildbill said as he swallowed.

“I know you're wanting to help take care of your godchildren but are you sure you want to give up all of this,” Antonio said with a smile as he waved his arms around them, “I mean from what you've told me there are only a few places to even go out to eat in that little burgh.” 

“Yeah, I think I'm ready for a break.”, Wildbill said before taking a drink of his iced tea, “I may even buy some land up there and raise some horses or something. It's a nice and quiet little town.”

Shortly after he said that the text alert on his phone went off. Pulling it out of his pocket, he looked at the screen. It read Tambry, which was weird as he didn't remember giving her his number and he knew for sure he didn't put hers in his phone.

Antonio saw the confusion on his friend's face and asked, “What's up? 

After reading the text he looked shocked as he looked up and said, “Someone threw one of the kids' friends down a flight of stairs.”

**Gravity Falls General Hospital**

The group entered into the ER waiting room and walked up to the counter. There was an older nurse working the desk.

“Excuse us ma'am, our friend was just brought in by ambulance. His name is Joesph Thompson. Is there any way we can go see how he's doing?”, Wendy asked seeing as she was the most respectable looking of the older teens.

“Why little Miss Corduroy, it's been awhile since I've seen you. Your father staying out of trouble? He hasn't been in any since this spring,” the nurse made small talk as she was looking up the info.

“Yeah, I made him promise to stop spending so much time at the Fractured Skull. That's kept him out of trouble,” Wendy replied not really comfortable making small talk while Thompson was somewhere on the other side of the door separating the waiting room from the ER proper, “So is there any way we can get back there?”

“Well until his parents get here we can't allow any visitors,” the nurse replied.

“What about his fiancee? She'd be allowed to go back right?”, Wendy asked thinking quickly, gently guiding the shocked Alexa up to the counter.

“Yeah, we can let her go back.”, the nurse said with a wink, showing that she could tell that Wendy was trying to pull a fast one. 

Alexa was worried about her uncle trying something. Grabbing Lee she asked, “Can my brother come back with me, I'm worried I might need his help coping.” 

“That'll be fine dearie,” the nurse replied as she let the two of them head towards the opening door, “He's in room b 52.”

Once Alexa and Lee headed back, the gang found a group of chairs in a corner of the waiting room and sat down. 

“We'll wait a few minutes then you can go back and do your thing Mabel,” Dipper said as he watched the door. 

While they waited Tony asked Tambry to walk outside with him, once they were outside she could tell he was worried. His normally confident demeanor seemed to have fallen to the wayside. 

“Alright, what's wrong Tony?”, Tambry asked trying to get him to look her in the eyes. 

“It looks like you may have had a right to be jealous yesterday,” Tony said still not able to look her in the eyes.

“What do you mean?” Tambry asked, not wanting to believe what she thought she was hearing.

He saw this was hurting her more than he was willing to risk, so he decided to just flat out tell her and risk losing her. “Mary was apparently interested in me and was trying work up the courage to ask me out.”

'No, don't tell me he's getting ready to do what I think he is. I don't think I could take it right now,' Tambry thought before she asked, “What are you saying?”

“Don't worry, I told her I was already dating someone.”, Tony said calmly and reassuringly as he took her hand again. He then looked ashamed again as he looked away.

“If you told her that, why do you look like you're worried I'm gonna slap you?”, Tambry asked worriedly.

“Because,” Tony said as he steeled himself to take a slap if she does decided to do it, he'll take it cause he deserves it. “I'm sorry, but I couldn't stop her when she kissed me.” 

She saw him tense up after saying that. Wanting to calm him down she asked, “You didn't do anything to make her think you wanted a kiss did you?”

“No, I was just finishing telling her I was just starting a relationship and didn't want to screw it up. The next thing I knew she grabbed my collar and kissed me,” he said finally looking her in the eyes, “I meant what I said. I don't want to screw this up.”

She pulled him close and hugged him. It took him a moment to realize she wasn't mad before he hugged her back. When she let go, she looked at him and said “Now don't be surprised if I decide to have a 'talk' with her the next time I see her.” 

He had a wane smile and said, “You may have to wait in line. Mabel and the girls aren't happy she did it either.”

“How did they find out?”, Tambry asked.

“Dipper found me right after Mary started to kiss me, I'm guessing he told Mabel and it went from there.”, Tony replied, “They had just finished grilling me when we got your message about Thompson. I'm guessing they were worrying that I was going to hurt you.”

“We'll talk to them when we get back in there, but first I want another one of those hugs.” Tambry said as she pulled him back to her. If they had been paying better attention to their surroundings, they would have noticed someone neither of them wanted to see going into the ER.

**Room B 52**

Alexa and Lee are stood beside Thompson's bed. Lee has his hand on her shoulder as she held Thompson's left hand. His head is wrapped in gauze and there seems to be a cast on his leg. The doctor said he's stable. She hasn't told anyone yet, but she believed this was her fault. 

**Inside the waiting room**

“Wait. You're telling me that not only are he and Tambry feeling things out, but he has a girl at school that's into him enough that she still kissed him, against his will, even though she knew he was dating someone.”, Wendy asked after the gang explained why Tony and Tambry needed to be alone for a moment. 

“Yep,” Mabel replied.

“Man, that was not cool of her.”, Nat added.

“Oh, I know it.”, Mabel said before adding, “Me and the girls are gonna talk to her tomorrow about it.”

Grenda cracked her knuckles while Candy and Pacifica just nodded. 

Dipper's face suddenly went dark while he was looking at the Nurse's Desk. The rest of the group turned to see what he was looking at. Standing there was Robbie and his new girlfriend. After it seemed like he was rebuffed, they turned and saw the group in the corner. Robbie started to head over to them. 

“Why look it's Dip-stick and the layabouts,” Robbie said as he got to the group, “I should have known you all would be here.”

“And what are you doing here Robbie?”, Dipper said as he started to get up, only to be restrained by Wendy and Mabel

“Truce for now Dip-stick, I'm here cause a friend got hurt. I may not hang out with you guys anymore and you and I are enemies again, but I do still care about my friends.”, Robbie said as he looked into Dipper's eyes.

“Hockey pucks!”, Mabel practically yelled at Robbie. As she got up she began to jab him in the torso as she continued, “If you cared about your friends, you would have been more careful when you broke Tambry's heart. You would have came to help us when we first learned our mom was missing instead of complaining that Dipper was still ruining your fun. You wouldn't have threatened Dipper after our mom's funeral.” 

Even Blair looked a little shocked at the last one.

“I'm sorry Mabel, I know I've been a pain in the past but right now I'm just worried about my friend.”, Robbie said as he tried looking into her eyes. 

Wendy felt something weird, like someone was trying to take Dipper. She saw that there was no difference in him but as she turned back towards what was going on she saw Nate was looking at Blair instead of the conversation. He seemed to be looking at her like a love sick puppy before his eyes faintly glowed and he shook his head. 

“Don't try to sweet talk me mister,” Mabel said staring him straight in the eyes, “I gave you the benefit of a doubt that you had changed when you and Tambry got together, but you have shown your true colors with the way you acted towards her.”

“Why don't you go sit somewhere else Valentino,” Pacifica said as she put a hand on Mabel's shoulder.

“Of course you would come to her defense, try to calm her down why don't you.”, Robbie snapped. As he looked at the faces of the group he saw none of them seemed to be wavering in their opinion of him. This worried him as he thought, 'Why isn't this working, these krest'yane* should be eating out of my hand. They are less than nothing, why are the able to resist.”

“You need to leave,” Dipper said with a voice that nearly shook everyone in the group and even snapped Mabel out of her anger.

“Is everything ok over here?”, a security guard asked as he walked towards the group.

“No problem, officer. We're just trying to decide which of us are going to go back and see our friend first once he's allowed to have visitors,” Robbie said looking the guard in his eyes. 

“Oh, okay then. Have a good day,” the guard said as he turned and walked away. 

Turning back around Robbie said, “We'll go for now, but we will be back to visit Thompson later. And just so you know, we're doing this for him not you.”

And with that Robbie and Blair left. 

**Outside**

Tambry and Tony were finally getting ready to head back in when they saw Robbie and Blair heading out of the hospital. It was easy to tell that Robbie was mad and Blair looked confused. Tambry held Tony's arm as they watched them go by. As they were started to head in they saw Mr. and Mrs. Thompson get out of their car. 

“Tambry, have they told you guys anything yet?”, Mrs. Thompson asked as she walked up to the young couple.

“No, they wouldn't let us back.”, Tambry said hugging Mrs. Thompson, “Though Wendy did tell them that Alexa was his fiancee so she could go back.”

“I can let that slide.”, Mrs. Thompson said with a wane smile, “She would make a great daughter in law.”

“You know there was a time we wondered if you were gonna be in that position dear,” Mr. Thompson said, “He had a big crush on you for a long while there.” 

“Uhm. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, let me introduce my boyfriend Tony.”, Tambry said in order to change the subject, “He's Dipper Pines' cousin.”

“Oh, nice to meet you son.”, Mr. Thompson said chagrined.

“Let's get in and check on Joseph,” Mrs. Thompson said to save her husband. 

The group headed into the waiting room. 

**Inside the waiting room**

Wendy sees Mrs. Thompson walk in and jumps up to go over and give her and her husband a hug. Nate quickly follows. The rest of the group stays back respectfully, allowing the older teens to console their friend's parents. Tony walks over and joins his family and friends. Thompson's parents walk over to the desk and then head to the back. Once they go to the back everyone heads back to the corner and waits again to get an update on Thompson. While they are waiting Dipper decided to go ahead and apologize to Tony.

“Look cuz, I want to apologize.”, Dipper started, “I should have just talked to you, but with everything that has happened to all of us recently my paranoia kicked in. We know at least one of the Red Knight's crew can take at least my form, and they know who at least me and Mabel are. I guess I was just worried that they may have figured out who you were and they had done that as a way to try to drive a wedge between us.”

“Ok, I guess I can understand that in a way. But why'd you have to bring the rest of the crew into it?”, Tony asked.

“That's my fault,” Mabel replied, “You should know how hard it is to keep things from your twin. I accidentally spurted it out when he told me and then Pacifica added what she had seen slash heard in your drafting class and we decided to test you after school. We all didn't believe you'd do it, but we also went into protective mode for Tambers. You should know how that feels.”

Mabel nudged him and winked after she finished. Thinking about what had happened after he learned what Robbie had done, he really couldn't dispute it.

**A little shack somewhere in the woods**

The White Knight is standing facing his Mistress's chair. He had no sooner finished his assault, he had been pulled to her. He did not like the silence he was forced to listen to as she made him wait. 

“You know why I have brought you here?”, her metallic voice sounded.

“Yes Mistress,” he responded.

“Then you know there was to be no attack until I called for it,” she said waving her hand so her iron nails scraped against her mortar shooting off some sparks.

“There were circumstances that called for my actions,” he said almost pleadingly, “the one I questioned knows the location of my...”

“Oh, I know what is going on and it is all going towards my plans.”, the metallic voice intoned, “your grandchild is with the one fate has ordained for her to be with. It is not your place to challenge fate.”

“But he is beneath her,” Rassvet responded.

“Do you question me?”, the metallic voice asked.

“No, my Mistress but...”, Rassvet started before she waved her hand and one of the bits of statuary flies across the room and hits him in his face.

“She will soon ask for her freedom and you will grant it, I would have let her fight for it but you had to attack her beloved.” the Mistress said before she waved towards the cage in which there now sat a baby rabbit, “We do not have time for your petty squabbles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 55 is in the books. We saw the team rush to get to the hospital for Thompson. While at a business lunch with Antonio, Wildbill finds out about Thompson. Nate and Lee go to Nate's house to pick up Alexa. Wendy calls Alexa Thompson's fiancee in order to give her a chance to see Thompson. While waiting for Thompson's parents to get there so they can get a chance to see him, Tony and Tambry have a talk. Robbie and Blair show up to check on Thompson and Robbie nearly gets into it with Dipper and Mabel. Thompson's parents arrive. Dipper explains his actions earlier in the day. And we have another visit with the Mistress.
> 
> A question for those following, how many here would want to see a Sidetracks chapter or two covering the heroes introduced in chapter 52, Total Chaos (the comic book company sponsored team), The B.R.A.T.S. (The frat for those with powers), or Bandz. LMK if you'd be interested. They all have back stories, but really won't be more than background characters in the third storyline. 
> 
> Recently on the FF Facebook page someone asked about favorite ships so I figured I'd go ahead and list my top ten Gravity Falls ships and then top five other ships:  
> 1\. Wendip (was there any doubt)  
> 2\. Mabcifica (whoa another shocker)  
> 3\. Tapper (this one really doesn't get much love)  
> 4\. Mobbie (only recently got into this shipping)  
> 5\. Dipcifica (another one I only recently was able to get into)  
> 6\. Blurand (their interactions on the show were just too cute)  
> 7\. Thombry (this one was big early on in the series/ff worlds but died out sometime before Love God)  
> 8\. Pandy (there is only one story with this ship, but their interaction in it make me wish there were more)  
> 9\. Candip (this one is sorts hard to get behind after Roadside Attraction)  
> 10\. Rombry (still really iffy on this one, but it is in my top ten, barely beating out Daler) 
> 
> 1\. KP/RS from Kim Possible  
> 2\. Starco from Star vs the Forces of Evil  
> 3\. Ash/Misty from Pokemon  
> 4\. Negi/Nodoka/Yue from Negima  
> 5\. Robin/Starfire from Teen Titans
> 
> Robbie's translations (from Russian thanks to Google Translate)  
> * peasants
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 1 14-5-5-4-12-5 20-15 1-12 5-7-7, 1-12 5-7-7 20-15 1 4-21-3-11, 1 4-21-3-11 20-15 1 18-1-2-2-9-20, 1-14-4 8-5 9-19 18-5-2-15-18-14.


	56. Chapter 56

** Chapter 56 **

**Robbie's Van**

As with his room, Robbie had cleaned his van till it sparkled. He even planned on taking it to Portland this weekend to get it repainted, probably a silver or green tone. The black just wasn't him anymore and since the band folded there really isn't a need to have the name on it anymore. He also felt it wasn't a good look for the beautiful young lady in the seat next to him. 

“So what happened back there? Between us we should have had them eating out of our hands.”, Robbie asked as he continued to drive.

“I told you my pheromones only work on guys who are not in love. They seemed to be working on, I think you said his name was Nate, but then suddenly he was back the way he was before we started to talk to them.”, Blair replied as she looked down at her lap, she doesn't remember how he did it but he was able to convince her to tell him about her abilities. The only other person she had let know about them before now had been Charlene. While she was thinking this over she said, “It appears that your little enemy must truly love the redhead.” 

“Yeah, I could've told you that. Our rivalry started over the fact we were both interested in the same girl, Wendy. I had her for awhile till I screwed up,” Robbie calmly said as he drove, “apparently he swept in afterwords. It doesn't matter, I've got someone a lot better now.” 

“Aww, you say the sweetest things.”, Blair remarked as she grabbed on to his arm. She held it for a bit before she thought, 'This is weird, why am I school girling over someone who I started dating as a mark. I'm gonna have a good talk with Charlene when I see her, maybe she can help me figure this out.'

“We're here gorgeous,” Robbie said as he looked into her eyes and then kissed her.

'Whoa, what was I thinking about. Oh, who cares. I've got a great guy here and he's my inside track to what the Valentinos are hiding,' Blair thought after they released the kiss. 

**Piedmont, CA  
Wildbill's Apartment**

With everything but his chair, fridge, and his bed gone Wildbill looked around to see if there was anything he needed to worry about before he headed to Adam's place. Though it will be a chore he had planned on asking Mabel to try and get the truck back up to Gravity Falls, he's going to be driving the Wagon for awhile. His duffel bags are already in the car and his pistol is in the small of his back. 

Knock, Knock.

He turned and looked at his door. Of those who knows where he lived, Adam is at work, Mabel is at the hospital with Thompson, and he had just left Antonio. He walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. He saw a badge being held up to be seen. 

Opening the door he saw two uniformed and a plain clothes officers. The plain clothes officer introduced himself, “Good afternoon Mr. Hauser, I'm Detective Holenbeck. We'd like you to come down to the station with us to answer a few questions.”

“Can I ask what this is about?”, Wildbill asked as he looked over at the police officers.

“We're investigating the disappearance of Colleen Raleigh,” Detective Holenbeck replied.

“What,” Wildbill asked incredulously, “when did she go missing?”

“A little over a week ago,” the detective responded, he noticed Wildbill's expression change slightly. Subtly he pounced on this as he asked, “Now is there anything we need to know?”

“I have a thirty-eight in the small of my back and the permit is in my wallet.”, Wildbill said as he raised his hands and turned so one of the officers could take his pistol. 

**Gravity Falls General Hospital**

The gang was still sitting in the corner of the waiting room when Lee and Mr. Thompson came out. 

“Alright guys, Mrs. T and Alexa are staying back there but they said you can go back and visit two at a time.”, Lee said as he walked over to the gang. 

“Alright all, who wants to go first?”, Dipper asked as he looked around.

“I'll stay back, you guys have known him longer than me and my brother.”, Francis said looking at Tony who nodded. 

“We shall stay back as well,” Candy said looking over at Grenda.

“Tambry, Nate, you guys go ahead and go first.”, Wendy said looking at her friends. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

“Alright thanks guys.”, Nate said as they went back. 

**Gillian's hideout**

James had just finished carrying in the soda from the car, he had wanted to move after having been in the car for the long trip back from Portland. They had ended up buy two of the fridges, one for each of them. He went back out to the car to see if there was anything else he may have missed. After looking things over one last time he got a weird feeling, like someone was watching him. Acting as if he was checking his hair in the passenger side mirror he looked as good as he could around the area. He realized there was no way to check things out that way so he headed on inside. Once he was in the darkness of the old shop he traveled up to the shadows on the roof and looked out over the area to see if there was anyone he could see. 

“You know if you're trying to hide your identity, you need to not use your abilities out in the open.”, a voice behind him said. As he turned he saw a bluish white leg swing out and kick him in the jaw. As his head was encased in ice, he fell into the shadows and disappeared. 

**Mystery Shack**

Stan was pacing through the gift shop, stopping every once in awhile to look at his watch. School had been out for nearly three hours now and the kids weren't home yet. Soos had said something about one of their friends being in the hospital but surely they should be back by now. 

“Any answer yet?”, he called back to Soos as he continued to pace.

“Sorry, Mr. Pines. They may be in one of the phone black out zones in the hospital,” Soos said as he listened to Dipper's voice-mail message again. 

Melody walked over to Stan and put a calming hand on his shoulder. Looking at him she said, “Stan, you need to calm down. You're no good to the twins if you've worried yourself to an ulcer or a heart-attack.”

“I know, but I'm responsible for them.”, Stan said with a worried look over his normally stoic face. 

**Gravity Falls General Hospital**

Tambry and Nate came back out from and signaled the next group to head back and visit Thompson. Dipper and Wendy headed back. When they got back to the room the Doctor was in the room while Alexa and son were hugging each other in the hall. Wendy walked over and hugged both of them while Dipper placed a comforting hand on Alexa's shoulder. 

“What's going on?”, Wendy asked as they separated.

“Joey woke up just a moment ago, the Doctor rushed in after it happened. They're running a few tests then we'll be allowed back in,” Alexa said happily. 

“That's good to hear,” Dipper said genuinely relieved. He then asked, “How coherent was he? Will he be able to give Blubs and Durland a description of his attacker?”

“He was still groggy. He remembered me but not why he was here,” Alexa said as she turned to look at the opening door. A short dark skinned female Doctor walked out of the door. Alexa quickly asked, “Dr. Brit, can we go back in with him?”

“Yes, we gave him another dose of pain killers so he may be groggy,” Dr. Brit said as she started to look up. Seeing Wendy she said, “I'd know that shade of hair anywhere, do you happen to be related to Dan Corduroy?”

“Yeah, he's my dad.”, Wendy said looking the Doctor over. Not recognizing her she asked, “How do you know him?”

“Well besides his visits here, my husband works with him. His name's Dylan, maybe he's talked about him?”, Dr. Brit said a little too cheerfully before she offered her hand, “Either way it's good to meet the daughter of the only man in town that can out work my husband.”

“Sure,” Wendy said as she looked over at Dipper feeling a little weirded out, “we're gonna go in and see our friend now.”

“Don't worry, we're gonna take good care of you and your boyfriends' friend.”, Dr. Brit said as Wendy and Dipper headed into the room. 

**Bunker**

Fiddleford was busy adding in several various training apparatuses to the training hall they had worked on earlier in the week. He had built several stun blasters, restraining device shooters, tranquilizer darts shooters, taser arms, etc. He didn't really want to do it, but these were in the specifications Dipper had wanted to be included in the room. Testosteraur was standing next to him. If it hadn't been for the manotaur and Ford this work would have taken forever, but with his and Ford's brains and Testosteraur's brawn its going at a fairly good pace. 

“Well, I reckon this is what he wanted.”, Fiddleford said looking over his work. 

“This is a good simulated battlefield my friend,” Testosteraur said looking over the room. 

“Well, I shure in heck hope that Dipper likes it.”, Fiddleford said before he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small notebook, “Let's see here, what's next.”

Looking down the list he saw a good portion of the items were crossed off then reaching the bottom he saw the words rec room quickly followed by miniature golf course in glitter ink. 

“Heh,” Fiddleford chuckled as he read that, “Leave it to Mabel to want to put something fun in like that, maybe I can even toss in a few arcade games the kids may like.”

**Piedmont, CA  
Piedmont PD Missing Persons**

Wildbill sat in an integration room waiting on Detective Holenbeck. He had been offered some coffee and declined. Knowing that making him wait is a common tactic to make him agitated, so he began to find his center and stay calm. About fifteen minutes later the detective walked into the room.

“Now Mr. Hauser, do you have any idea why we have brought you here?”, Detective Holenbeck asked as he sat down across from him.

“Well you told me that one of my former students disappeared,” Wildbill said looking over at the Detective. He scratched his ear before he continued, “You also told me that she has been missing for a little over a week, but I know she was free and mobile yesterday. She stopped by my apartment yesterday offering her services for an upcoming show I'm throwing to benefit two of my students who are in the hospital. I have witness to that fact as I was talking to my god daughter on the phone when she arrived. She heard the whole conversation.”

“Well, that's all well and good Mr. Hauser. But can you explain why we have found her jacket partially burned and covered in blood behind your old gym? And with you finger prints on the sleeve.”, Detective Holenbeck asked as he placed a picture on the table in front of Wildbill.

**Gravity Falls  
Gravity Falls Memorial Hospital**

Dipper and Wendy had just walked out of the ER when he heard the voice come over the earbud he constantly kept on. He was hearing most of what was going on with Wildbill. He walked up to the group and told them that Thompson was awake and suggested that Mr. Thompson go see his son. He then quickly gathered the rest of the group and asked them to step outside with him.

“Alright man, what's up?”, Lee asked as they made their way outside.

“Wildbill may be in trouble, it sounds like he may be getting questioned about a disappearance down in Piedmont.”, Dipper said as he looked over the group, “Tambry, I need you to try and look things up for me.”

Tambry nodded and pulled out her phone. 

Dipper then turned towards Mabel, “Mabel, Wildbill has said he was on the phone with you the last time he saw her. The police may try and call you for verification.”

“Probably the lady that came while we were in the middle of moving his stuff,” Mabel said as she scrunched her face in thought, “I think I remember most of the conversation. I should be able to make it sound as if I heard over a phone instead of from his bathroom.”

She hated to lie, but really it would only be stretching the truth as she had heard the conversation and wasn't in the room with them. She remembered something so she turned to Tambry and added, “I believe her name was Colleen, if that helps you.”

“For now that's the most of it,” turning to Lee and Nate he continued, “but I want you two to keep an eye on Alexa till we find out who attacked Thompson. She may be in trouble.”

“Of course mon capitaine,” Nate said with a mock salute. 

“We'll also take shifts coming to visit Thompson over the next few days till they release him,” Dipper added, “At least one of us with powers will be here after school til he's released. I don't want to take a chance that whoever attacked him will come back.” 

Mabel was about to say something when her phone went off, thinking it might be the police she answered, “Hello. Oh hi Soos, yeah Thompson is starting to do better. He's regained consciousness. We'll be home soon.”

**Mystery Shack**

Stan had finished pacing after he heard Soos talking to Mabel. He was glad to hear they were ok and would be coming home soon. He sat down to finally calm down and watch some TV. He had just got comfortable when he heard a knock on the door. Knowing that Soos and Melody were somewhere on the other side of the Shack he got up to answer the door. When he opened the door he saw the kid who was with Gillian when she visited.

“Mr. Pines, I need your help. Someone kidnapped Gillian.”, James said before he collapsed through the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 56 is in the books. We get a small look into the relationship between Robbie and Blair. Wildbill get's asked to come in by the police about the disappearance of the former student he saw yesterday. Then The gang starts to get to visit Thompson. James gets attacked back one of the people who stole Bill's statue. Stan is worried about the kids only to be calmed by Melody. Wendy and Dipper head back to see Thompson, learn he's now conscious, and meet his doctor. Fiddleford looks over the list of ideas the team put in for the bunker. 
> 
> The last chapter I listed my top ten favorite GF ships, this chapter I'll list my top ten most hated GF ships:  
> 1\. Billdip (As I have stated before, I don't like Bill. Even worse is shipping a multiple millennium year old dream demon with a human, ugh. Add in the way he treated Dipper through out the series and I instantly see any relationship Bill is in as an abusive relationship)  
> 2\. Mabill (As I have stated above, I don't like Bill. Even worse is shipping a multiple millennium year old dream demon with a human, ugh.)  
> 3\. Billford (As I have stated above, I don't like Bill. Even worse is shipping a multiple millennium year old dream demon with a human, ugh.)  
> 4\. Rondy (It always seemed wrong to me from the beginning, and it got worse after 'Boyz Crazy' with the reveal that Robbie was using hypnotism on Wendy)  
> 5\. Stendy (I've always felt Stan sees Wendy as a daughter he never had so this seems wrong and then there is the age difference)   
> 6\. Mabdeon (Mabel would never go with Gideon after everything he's put her family through and I wouldn't want her to either)  
> 7\. Stos (I've always felt Stan sees Soos as a son he never had so this seems wrong)  
> 8\. Stan & Lazy Susan (that relationship seemed forced from the beginning and then later we find out Stan is the one to cause her to have the lazy eye)   
> 9\. Wenlee (only seen it a couple of times and it just doesn't feel right)   
> 10\. Rombry (Yeah I know it's in my Top Ten favorites. But while I like it cause they seem happy, I also hate it due to Robbie's actions in the past ie the hypnotism)
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 19-5-3-18-5-20-19 23-9-12-12 2-5 18-5-22-5-1-12-5-4 1-14-4 20-18-21-20-8-19 23-9-12-12 2-5 19-8-1-20-20-5-18-5-4.


	57. Chapter 57

** Chapter 57 **

**Piedmont, CA  
Piedmont PD Missing Persons**

Wildbill was still talking to the Detective. Looking down at the picture he saw that it looked like the coat Colleen was wearing yesterday. Thinking back he remembered she definitely smelled like Colleen. 

“Well I can explain my finger prints at least, that was the coat she was wearing when she came to visit me yesterday afternoon. I bet my prints were found on the left wrist of the coat,” Wildbill asked as he looked Detective Holenbeck in the eyes.

After looking at his notes Detective Holenbeck responded, “Yes.”

“Well that's because after I told her to contact my partner about working the show, she attempted to put a move on me and ran her hand over my shirt. When I turned her down I removed her left hand off of my chest,” Wildbill said with complete sincerity.

“I've seen pictures of this girl, you're saying she came on to you and you turned her down?”, Detective Holenbeck asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I did. I'm not an animal, I can control whether or not I want to sleep with someone.”, Wildbill replied, “In my business, like yours, it's never a good policy to sleep with co-workers and even worse to sleep with those who work under you. I've seen it tear companies apart and end nearly life long friendships. So, yeah I turned her down.”

“Alright before you start preaching to me about professional ethics, I have one more question for you. Where were you on the 20th?”, Detective Holenbeck asked. 

“I was up in Oregon getting ready for a Thanksgiving with my godchildren and their family. We had just found out the previous afternoon that their mother was among those killed in the pile up on I-5. I have nearly three dozen witnesses that can place me in town from the 20th-26th. Her funeral was the 25th so I didn't leave until Monday morning.”, Wildbill said as he was hoping the questions were coming near an end. 

“Well, Mr. Hauser, that's all of the questions we have currently. We will be checking up on the information you have shared with us and if need be we will contact you again.”, Detective Holenbeck said as he stood up and allowed Wildbill to exit the room. 

**Gravity Falls  
Mystery Shack**

Stan stood at the door looking at the teen that had fallen through his door after telling him that his ex wife had been kidnapped. With out thinking he bent down and tried to pick up the teenager, but he realized he was heavier than he looked like.

“Soos, I need some help in here.” Stan said as he again tried to lift the teen. While doing so he could tell something was wrong with him. His body felt normal, but where the teens head hits his arm is nearly ice cold. 

“Coming Mr. Pines.”, Soos yelled as he rumbled through the gift shop heading towards his mentor. Seeing Stan trying to lift James he said, “Hey isn't that your grandson?”

“Yes, no, he's Gillian's grandson. He came here for help. Help me get him to the sofa,” Stan said as he tried to get the teen towards the sofa. As he struggled he thought, 'What in the world is Gillian feeding this kid, I need to get some of it for Dipper.'

Soos came over and took James arms and let Stan grab his feet. When he hefted “Oof, the dude's heavy. Let me take off his backpack.”

Soos unhooked the front side release buckle and slid the bag off of his shoulders. James suddenly felt sixty pounds lighter. They were able to quickly get him onto the sofa and while Stan went to get him a warm compress Soos moved the backpack over next to the couch. He realized it may actually be sixty pounds. 

**Gravity Falls Gossiper**

Robbie and Blair walked into the office of the town's paper and he walked up to the editors desk. On the cabinet behind the desk is an emergency band radio. 

“Well, thanks for the info. He was there but unfortunately the rest their group was there also,” Robbie said to the person sitting behind the desk.

“You told me you wanted any info on their group. Thanks to my sources, I have follow up news coming about their blond princess. She's about to be completely disinherited and forcibly emancipated.”, the editor commented, “Do you want me to go ahead and run it?”

“Hmm,” Robbie said rubbing his jaw, “What do you think dear?”

“It may give her too much sympathy. You want to embarrass and demean them, not to make them town darlings.”, Blair replied, “At least not any more than they already are.”

“Argh, this town.”, Robbie said as he slammed his hand on the desk, “I was there too, but is that ever mentioned. No, it's always: the Pines Twins this, the Pines Twins that. I despise them.” 

“Well then, should I find something on them then?”, the editor asked.

“No, we'll still go after the ones close to them first. Destroy the foundation and the tower shall fall,” Robbie said as he sneered.

“Then I'll run the story about Jesus 'Soos' Ramirez,” the editor said as he turned around revealing Tad Strange.

**Gravity Falls General Hospital**

Nate and Lee stayed at the hospital in order to keep an eye on both Thompson and Alexa. When she came out so Thompson's parents could have some alone time with him they decided to hit the hospital's cafeteria to get some dinner. 

“The plan is that we're gonna keep at least one of the group here after school to keep an eye on Thompson and make sure no one tries anything. And for now we'll still keep you at my house as long as you want,” Nate said in between bites of his grilled chicken sandwich, “I meant what I said about you being family.” 

“Thanks,” Alexa relied after a drink of her raspberry iced tea. 

“No problem dude,” Lee said around a couple of fries.

While they were eating Alexa's phone rang. Swallowing she answered it, “Hey there. This is Alexa, whatcha want?”

She sat there for a moment listening before getting a shocked look on her face. She finally asked, “He did what?”

“What?”, Nate whispered as he asked.

Holding up one finger, Alexa continued “Well, I won't be able to come in til Friday at the earliest. The guy injured at the high school today was my boyfriend. I've been at the hospital since I found out and I plan on heading there straight from school tomorrow also. Thanks for being so understandable.” 

Once she hung up Lee asked, “Well?”

“My uncle called my work. They said that he said he over reacted and he wasn't making me quit,” Alexa said with a confused look on her face. 

**Walking from Gravity Falls General Hospital**

Wendy and Dipper were leading the group as they walked back from the hospital to the Shack. They decided to walk in-order to have a chance to think and talk. 

“Alright what all have we figured out?”, Wendy asked.

“Well it sounds like Wildbill has been released from his interrogation, the lady he was being asked about supposedly disappeared after he was already up here.”, Dipper responded.

“It's gonna have to wait till I can get to my computers before I can do too much, but so far what little I have been able to find is the same as what Dipper just told us.”, Tambry said only looking up when Tony pulled her around a raised section of the sidewalk they were walking on. With a smile of thanks she whispered as she added, “I've also found out Mary's class schedule.”

“I've discovered that you two,” Mabel joked as she tapped Wendy and Tambry, “need to get your licenses. This walking is for the birds. That or I could have had us there by now.” 

“We need to not get too reliant on your abilities, plus this exercise is good for us. Once things get settled down below, we'll be working on our training so we will get more fit.”, Dipper said smirking at his sister's attempt at humor. While it's not up to her normal fare it means that she is getting out of the anger zone she was in earlier. Looking around he added, “Besides, if Wildbill was here, we'd probably have to run home from here. We have been slacking some on our training since we've been up here.” 

“Slacking? We've handled a bank robbery, a hi-jacking, four psychos and a gang in Piedmont, our fight with the Hick-Cats, the ghost hunter, plus dealing with school.”, Mabel quietly yelled.

“Yeah and in three of those instances we nearly lost Pacifica, Wendy, and myself.”, Dipper responded, “We need to get back to training so we can learn to fight smarter and not so much running in without a plan.”

“Whoa, Dip. When did you get so serious?”, Wendy asked holding on to her boyfriend.

“After I've nearly lost you twice now,” Dipper replied, “We've not been together that long and I want to be able to be with you till we're old and gray.”

“Awww, that's so sweet.”, Grenda tried whispering as she walked with Candy and Francis. 

**Piedmont, CA  
Piedmont PD**

Wildbill was walking out of the building after his integration. He had stopped by the desk of his friend he had asked to look into Elaine's death to see if he had came up with any information. It was still under investigation California Hi-way Patrol and they weren't sharing anything. He also picked up his pistol before he left. 

As he walked out to head towards the closest bus stop, he heard, “Mr. Hauser, what are you doing here again?”

Turning around he saw the gorgeous arson investigator, Detective Niobe. Smiling he said, “Well one of my old students apparently went missing while I was up in Oregon. The missing persons division brought me in to cover all their bases.”

“So you didn't drive?”, Detective Niobe asked.

“No ma'am, heading towards the bus stop now.”, Wildbill said as he started to turn back towards the sidewalk.

“Well, my shift just ended. How about I give you a ride home then.”, Detective Niobe suggested as she walked over to a dark blue sedan.

“Why thank you ma'am,” Wildbill said with a tip of his hat, “Let me get that for you.”

He walked over and opened her door.

“Thank you sir,” she said as she got in and let him close the door. 

He walked around and got into the passenger side of the car. Once he was in he gave her his address. She started the car and pulled out of the lot. 

“I had planned on calling you tomorrow. After running your finances and verifying your alibi, we've cleared you of the arson of your gym.”, Detective Niobe said as she was heading towards his apartment building.

“Thanks for the information, I'm glad I'm clear in your eyes.”, Wildbill said with a sly grin. After a moment he asked, “So, is there another reason you decided to offer me a ride?”

“Mostly cause it's the right thing to do,” Detective Niobe replied. Then with smirk she added, “Now if I had met you outside of work I'd have been intrigued enough to try and find out what a cowboy like you was doing in California.”

“Well, I have to admit I'd be wondering what a good looking young lady like you would be doing alone.”, Wildbill said admiring the grin that shone against her caramel color complexion. Looking back towards the road, he saw they were pulling up in front of his apartment building. Sighing cause he was enjoying the conversation he said, “Well it looks like we've made it to my place, thanks again for the ride.”

“You're welcome. Maybe we'll see each other around, Cowboy.”, Detective Niobe said as he was getting out of her car.

“We'll have to see, I'm taking a sabbatical to help my godchildren's dad take care of them. They've moved up to Oregon and I'm heading up this weekend, but I'll still be coming down from time to time for business.”, Wildbill said leaning back into the car. With a wink he added,“So who knows.”

**Gravity Falls  
Somewhere else in town**

Blair and Robbie walk into her uncle's house to find an upset Charlene and Jennifer seemingly trying to figure something out. 

After watching them for a moment Blair finally asked, “What's going on here?”

“Well. Now Blair, I don't want you to get upset.”, Charlene started.

“That's not a good way to start out,” Blair said looking at her underlings.

“Look boss lady, this isn't our fault.” Jennifer said as she tried looking anywhere but at Blair.

“What. Is. Going. On?”, Blair growled causing the other two to cringe.

“Well, someone came to the school today and signed your cousin out while I was having to help out in the nurses office. I didn't find out till school was over and I waited to bring him home,” Charlene said as she looked up at her boss. Steeling herself she continued, “When I asked at the office they told me he was picked up by one of his permitted transportation custodians, something about being his bodyguard. They described him as a big guy with longish red brown hair & all white eyes.”

“How in the world could my uncle afford a bodyguard for the little shrimp,” Blair said as she looked towards the only one who had lived in Gravity Falls long enough to have any idea about this. 

“That sounds like one of Gideon's prison buddies. Wait, Gideon is your cousin?” Robbie asked incredulously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 57 is in the books. Wildbill's interrogation was finished and he may have exonerated himself. Stan & Soos help James inside. Robbie and Blair have a conversation with the new editor of the Gossiper, Tad Strange. Alexa learns her uncle has supposedly had a change of heart about her work. The gang decided to walk to the shack from the hospital. Wildbill got a ride home from Detective Niobe. Blair's cousin may be out from under her control. 
> 
> Sorry for the shorter chapter, migraine was flaring when I wrote this chapter. Also been working some on my drawing of the Bunker and though it's still extremely rough, I like the way it's coming out. I've got Delphi's lair, the Cryogenics room, 16 bedrooms, the main hall (where the cryo tubes used to be), the tree entrance, the first room, the former control room, Charger's recharging chamber, laundry room, and a more than a few of the tunnels. 
> 
> Thought I'd share some of my favorite completed multiple chapter GF Fan Fics. You may have to go to FF . net to read some of them. I have read most of these multiple times. I read all ratings so... Here's ten, not in any specific order:  
> 1\. Mirror Circle by Garouge Faux  
> 2\. Project Lumberdork by SuperGroverAway  
> 3\. In the End by Am Sadi (not listed as completed, but I've talked to the author and he says it's completed and will be reposted on his other account Samuel Sadi and he's working on a sequel of sorts)  
> 4\. Christmas with a Corduroy by SuperGroverAway  
> 5\. Potion Power by RockSunner (Actually all of his Potion series are good stories)  
> 6\. Return of the Mystery Twins & Stranded in Gravity Falls both by Teddiursa48  
> 7\. I Wish to Remember the Forgotten by DJPandaGirl  
> 8\. Bark at the Moon by Dalek Prime  
> 9\. Our Letters by The Hyperistic Country Lover  
> 10\. Jealous of a Twelve Year Old & In Love with a Thirteen Year Old both by The Infamous Fly
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 23-8-9-3-8 6-15-18-13-5-18 5-14-5-13-24 9-19 20-8-5 15-14-5 14-5-5-4-5-4 6-15-18 20-8-5 16-18-15-16-8-5-19-24?


	58. Chapter 58

** Chapter 58 **

**Path to the Mystery Shack**

Dipper, Wendy, Mabel, Pacifica, Francis, Candy, and Grenda all continued on towards the Shack, while Tony walked Tambry home. They were going to connect via video chat once they were all at their respective houses. Dipper had remembered something he had figured out yesterday before all of the madness with the hijackers happened and he figured it was time to share it with the rest of the group. Plus he wanted Grunkle Ford's opinion of his assumption. 

“We need to start working on figuring out who this Mistress is, the one that the Knights are working for.”, Francis said as they continued down the path. 

“Well my dork here may have that figured out,” Wendy said as she pushed Dipper's hat down over his eyes. 

“What? Why haven't you told us broseph?”, Mabel asked as she slugged her brother in the shoulder 

“Well, I had just figured it out when we found out about the hijacking. And then we were dealing with everything after that,” Dipper said pulling up the logger's cap off of his eyes before he continued, “and then school, the Tony/Mary situation, and finally Thompson. I wanted to verify my findings with Grunkle Ford before I mentioned it.”

“That is a reasonable thought, Dipper.”, Candy said pushing her glasses back up her nose. 

“I just want to know who we're gonna pound,” Grenda declared, “I have extra aggression to dole out to someone.”

“Whoa girl, right now we need to figure out if it'd even be safe for you...”, Mabel was saying before she heard a loud crash. 

As the group turned towards the sound they saw a tree that was just a little bit bigger in circumference then that of the twins. It was broken in half and standing next to it was Grenda gently blowing across the knuckles of her right hand.

“And maybe we shouldn't worry too much about that,” Mabel said even though she was slack jawed.

“Man it feels good to not have to hold back,” Grenda said as she walked back over to her friends. 

**Back room of the Fractured Skull**

The big burly bouncer Tats stood in the doorway looking over at the giant of a man leaning over a white haired 10 year old who was laying on a cot. 

“I still can't believe I let you bring that kid in here,” Tats said as he stood there. 

“Look, I called in a favor. Suck it up. Something's been wrong with my little buddy here. I haven't seen him in more than three weeks,” the giant said getting up and walking over to Tats, “Look I know you have some bad history with my little buddy, but right now he needs my help.”

“You've got two days and then I want him out of here,” Tats said before he turned and headed back into the bar. 

**Mystery Shack**

Soos was coming back into the living room bringing Ford out from the basement. As they came into the living room Ford saw Stan Bent over a teenager he didn't recognize.

“What's going on here Stan?”, Ford asked as he walked over to the two of them.

“Oh, this is Stan's grandson. Well technically his step grandson, if that didn't change when his mother had the wedding annulled.”, Soos answered before Stan could answer. Seeing Ford's shocked look Soos continued, “But if you had read my fan fiction I gave you last week, this wouldn't be news to you.”

“Soos, go get me another warm compress.”, Stan called out to the giant fanboy. 

“Do I really want to know, Ley?”, Ford said as he knelt down to help his brother, “My lord, his head is so cold.”

“That's why I asked for the compress,” Stan said as he looked concerned, “and if you really want to know, I was married back in the eighties after you went through the portal. It fell apart because I was an idiot. She recently came back to visit the town and me. And today her grandson came to me saying she was kidnapped.”

“Here you Mr. Pines,” Soos said as he carried in a hot wet wash cloth. 

“I suppose this was done under my name?”, Ford asked as he was taking vital signs from the teenager.

“Nah, we got married under aliases. Don't worry though, she knew I wasn't you. She actually helped me work on the portal for awhile,” Stan said as he used the cooler of the compresses to wipe moisture off of the teenager's face. Seeing Ford about to ask more Stan continued, “You'd have like her Sixer, she's a bookworm like you. I screwed up by not telling her I was doing something other than going to Atlantic City for just our wedding with a good friend as my best man. I had went to get a piece I needed for the portal. She never forgave me.” 

“I'm sorry Ley,” Ford said as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

“Are you guys done?”, James said as he tried to sit up, “I need to try and save my grandmother.”

“Slow down slugger, you really don't look like your in any condition to go anywhere. What happened to you?”, Stan said as he tried to push the teenager back on the sofa. As he tried he thought, 'This kid is stronger than he looks.'

As James sat up his necklace came into view, Ford looked at it and read some of the inscriptions. After taking a breath he asked, “Do you have many problems with ghosts?”

“Yes, one killed my mother and father. So I try to keep them away from me, but that's not important. I need to go help my grandmother,” James said as he started to push away from Stan. Reaching down into his bag, he pulled of a small vial and drank it. He pushed himself up from the sofa and stood up. “Thank you for the help. I need to get moving.”

“You said someone has taken Gillian. Do you know where she is?”, Stan said as he got up to stand by James.

“Last I saw her, they still had her in her old store. That's where we have been staying.”, Jame said. Knowing her was going to have to fight he reached into his back pack and began putting on his harness and his gear except for his mask. 

Noting the knife and the tonfa, Stan realized the teen planned to go fight for his grandmother. Putting a hand on his shoulder Stan said, “Hold on kid, I can't let you go alone. Give me a moment and I'll go with you.”

Stan headed towards his room and was only gone for a couple of moments. When he came back out he had his brown coat and stocking cap from the ocean voyage. He had also taped up his fists and Ford could tell the was a definite bulge under his left armpit. There also seemed to be some weight pulling down his jacket pockets. Walking up to James he said, “Let's go.”

“Well Stan, you know I can't let you go alone. Good thing I don't go anywhere without Elizabeth,” Ford said as he patted on his own holster. 

The three of them head out to Stan's Diablo and get in. Rushing off they don't notice the kids coming out of the woodland path. 

**Tambry's Lair**

After a quick introduction of Tony to her parents, the two of them head down to her computer room. She sat down and motioned for him to pull out the other chair. As he sat down she was firing up her system. 

“Now, don't get surprised if this get's weird.”, Tambry said once he sat down. 

“Ok, what just happened?” Tony asked as he saw a small spark go from her fingertips to her keyboard.

“What?”, Tambry asked surprised.

“You had sparks that just flew from your fingertips into your keyboard,” Tony said with a look of awe. 

“They did?”, Tambry said as she looked down at her hands. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tab appear on her screen.

'Master Anthony is right mi'lady,' Tab's word balloon said.

“Ok what's that?”, Tony asked still processing all of this.

“That's Tab, he's a spirit of the internet. You know how most of the group has their own abilities, apparently I'm an electronic shaman. Tab is the first spirit to reach out to me,” Tambry said as she was still trying to catch her fingers sparking as she was typing, “He's the reason I was able to find you at the museum that day.” 

“Well then, it's good to meet you Tab.” Tony said watching the squire icon.

'And you as well, it has been good to see Lady Delphi be happy.', Tab's conversation balloon read, 'I'm glad mi'lady took my advice.' 

“Hush, Tab.”, Tambry said with a blush.

“What advice was that?” Tony asked looking between Tambry and Tab. 

'After viewing your encounter against the vile Robert and reading about it in her recounting, I suggested she talk to you. To thank you, if not more.', Tab's balloon read and Tony would swear he saw the squire wink.

“Alright then,” a slightly embarrassed Tambry said as she started typing in earnest again, “We need to to start working on the stuff for Wildbill. Tab, gather the gang and let's get cracking.”

 **Mystery Shack**

Dipper, Wendy, and the rest walked up to the Shack. As they had approached they noticed the Diablo was gone meaning Stan wasn't going to be there when they walked in. Soos seems to be coming out of the back.

“Hey, Soos.”, Mabel called as she walked in.

“Hey, hambone.”, Soos called back. Seeing Pacifica walk in with her he said, “Sorry to hear your dad did that, Pacifica. I hid the paper before Stan could see it, he would have killed him if I'd let him see it.”

Soos then walked over and hugged her. 

“Thanks, big guy.”, Pacifica replied As she returned the hug. 

“It looks like Stan ran into town for something, but where's Grunkle Ford at, Soos? Down in the lab or in the Bunker?”, Dipper asked as he started to walk over to the vending machine.

“Nah dood, he went with Stan and his grandson to find his ex wife.”, Soos replied as he looked around. He was trying to figure out if he needed to bring out more stock from the back.

“Wait a minute, his grandson?”, Dipper saked.

“His ex-wife?', Wendy and Mabel asked at the same time. 

“Didn't anyone read my fan fic I handed out last week?”, Soos called out as he turned back towards the group, “I explained it all in it, sure I embellished it a bit but it was all there.”

“Ok, I knew about the ex-wife but a grandson? How come he never mentioned him before?”, Dipper inquired .

“Well he didn't even know about him, he would have actually been his step grandson. She had had his father before she and Stan met,” Soos explained.

“While this is interesting, you said you had something to show us.”, Candy said looking at Dipper. 

“Of course, everybody head into the living room. Wendy I'll need help getting the cork board down from upstairs,” Dipper said as he started upstairs.

**Piedmont, CA  
Pines house**

Adam is in the kitchen unpacking packages of chow mein, fried rice, and sweet n sour chicken. He planned on having taking all of the dry goods still in the house up with him when he heads back up to Gravity Falls this weekend and maybe have Mabel transport the frozen food or if she thinks she could handle it, the whole fridge. They could always put it down in their bunker till they get the new house bought. He heard the front door open, so he grabbed a knife out of the drawer. Once he was armed he slowly headed towards the living room.

“Don't worry Adam, it's only me.” William called out as he headed towards the kitchen, “You bought Chinese for dinner.”

Putting the knife back Adam called back, “Yeah, I didn't feel like cooking and the restaurant was on the way home. How was your day?”

“Well the good news is I've been cleared of the arson,” William said as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plate. He piled up some rice and the sweet n sour chicken. As he put some of the chow mein as a side dish he continued, “the bad news is I was questioned in a missing persons case.” 

“Ok, that's a weird coincidence.”, Adam said through a mouth full of noodles as he headed to the dining room table. 

“Yeah and you know how I feel about coincidences,” William said as he sat down, “It doesn't help that the missing person was one of my old students and even though she has been missing since the 20th, I just saw her yesterday while Mabel was helping me move some stuff. As far as the cops know I was on the phone with Mabel while Colleen was there.”

“Wait a minute, you were up in Gravity Falls when she supposedly went missing.” Adam said after a moment.

“Yep, I've already got the kids looking into it.”, William said while he was getting the fork full of rice, “Heck, I was gonna have them check into her to begin with. The last time I had seen her was two years ago and she was cussing me out. She told me she would never work for me again and then she showed up at my apartment yesterday offering to work the Patrick and Jacob's show. I told her to talk to Antonio about it. After which she tried to get into my pants and I shot her down. Heh. That's what started her yelling at me the last time.” 

“Still won't get involved with somebody in the industry, will ya?”, Adam chuckled before he took another bite. 

“Yep, but there was a good thing to come out of the trip today. Got a ride home from the station from the arson detective that cleared me. And man, she was flirting with me the whole trip.”, William said as he wink over at his friend, “Almost enough to make me want to stay down here.” 

“Well I could always sell you the house,” Adam joked. 

Somberly William turned to his friend and said, “Nah, I couldn't live here anymore than you or the kids could. Plus the kids need me if they gonna continue to do what they're doing. You heard what happened to their friend Thompson today didn't you?”

“Yeah, their friend Tambry texted me. Not sure how she got my number, but...”, Adam started.

“But nothing, if I had started training those kids when I was up there last time it may not have happened. He may have been more aware of his surroundings,” William said as he interrupted his friend. 

“Don't beat yourself over it,” Adam said, “The best we can do is point them in the right direction and help when they ask.”

**Gravity Falls  
Gillian's hideout**

Stan's Diablo pulled into the parking spot while James pulled his mask on. Ford paused for a moment thinking back to Wendy and Dipper's description of the ghost hunter they fought recently. He decided to table that thought till after this went down. 

“Alright kid, where were they?”, Stan said as he slid his hands into his pockets. When he then pulled them out he had his brass knuckles on. 

“They were in her old office when I left. They had her tied to a chair,” James said as he opened the door.

The twins followed him into the old shop. Once they were inside Ford pulled out his ray gun and he saw James pull out an obsidian dagger that he vaguely remembered. 

“Alright then, I think we should just rush them. They may not realize we are even coming. What do you think, J...”, Stan said before he was interrupted.

“Please while I'm dressed like this call me Yami,” James said with a hidden smirk, “or kid if you must.”

“Ok, what do you think kid?”, Stan continued. 

“That might be a little presumptuous Ley,” Ford said tossing in his two cents.

“There were only two of them when I was here earlier, we'll have them out numbered at least”, Yami said as he twirled the dagger. 

“Well that works for me,” Stan said as he did a quick bit of shadow boxing. 

**Gillian's hideout  
Inside the office**

Gillian was bound and gagged in such a way that she couldn't even move her fingers. The two people who had jumped her made sure she could move to even cast any somatic spells, let alone verbal. They had also sat her as far as they could from her case of equipment. The only thing she was happy about was that James had apparently gotten away. 

“Well it looks like we were right, the little punk has decided to try and come back to rescue her.”, the Asian woman in the bluish white uniform said looking at a monitor on her wrist.

“My lord Winter, who is that with him?”, the guy who looked like some sort of Zorro reject asked.

“Aw man, Cavalier. It looks like he went and got the elder Pines twins. I know the bossman said to capture these two, but the big lady said to not mess with any Pines till she orders.”, the lady apparently named Winter replied. 

“Tell you what, we'll fight a little bit but let them think we're retreating. This way we'll be safe with both of the bosses,” Cavalier reasoned 

“You just want to fight,” Winter said looking over at the swordsman.

“Well, I've heard of this Stanley Pines before. He is supposed to have been quite a fighter in his prime,” Cavalier rationalized pulling out a rapier.

“Alright,” Winter replied as the air around her hands started to frost, “we'll do it your way.” 

**Tambry's Lair**

Tambry had dug up what she could about the cases involving William 'Wildbill' Hauser. She saw he was no longer a suspect in the arson case and just the basics on the missing person's case. She had Tab contact Asta, the bloodhound icon walked onto the screen.

'So far the police have no leads on who attacked your friend toots.' Asta's balloon said as she looked back towards where she had came from.

“So you have a bloodhound helping out also?”, Tony asked as he looked over the icon as it turn it's head in his direction. 

'Whoa toots, is this the new lover boy?', Asta's balloon asked as the icon's eyebrows wagged suggestively. It the smirked as the two's faces went red. 

**Mystery Shack  
Living room**

Mabel and Pacifica were seated in to armchair with one arm around each other while Francis, Candy, and Grenda were seated on the sofa. The laptop was sitting on the top of the TV so everybody could be seen during the video chat. 

“And that is how Monet started the impressionist movement,” Candy answered the question off of the Trivia Wars card Francis had pulled from the deck he had started carrying once he learned Candy was into trivia. 

“Interesting,” Grenda said with somewhat glazed over eyes. She didn't mind her friend's brains, but sometimes it goes over her head. 

“You're right. A little to verbose compared to the answer on the card, but you're right.”, Francis said giving her a hug. That had become a thing with them. If she got the answer right he gave her a hug and if he stumped her she gave him one. He really didn't care either way, he felt like a winner whatever the outcome was.

“Ok, what's taking them so long?”, Pacifica finally asked, “Do you think they're making out up there just to make us wait?”

“No we weren't, but that does sound like a good idea.”, Wendy said looking at her boyfriend who started to blush, “This thing is just a little bit unwieldy to carry down stairs, especially when some dork forgot he could change in order to help split the weight load.” 

Seeing Wendy smirk on that comment, Dipper smiled. Sticking his tongue out he said, “Nah, I just figured my lumberjill princess could handle the weight.”

Dipper and Wendy set up the cork board by the stairs coming from the front entrance. While that was happening Mabel got up and tapped a couple of buttons on the laptop and invited Tambry to start the video chat. Wendy smirked as she tapped Dipper and pointed towards the laptop.

Seeing a red faced Tambry and Tony pop up on the screen Dipper asked, “Everyone ready?”

Mabel was seated back with Pacifica and held her hand tight. They both nodded. 

“Yeah,” Grenda replied in her gruff way.

“Proceed,” Candy Said as Francis nodded his head.

Wendy had walked over and say down on the skull next to the armchair. 

“Alright we all know that we've faced two people calling themselves Knights and we think that there is a third who seems to use translations of the word night as names. Well we've also fought two different types of Russian based entities that were connected to the White Knight, who we know works for this Mistress. And then there's Polden' Solntse which according to Toggle translate means Noon Sun in Russian,” Dipper elaborated as he was pointing out various pictures and strings on the board, “This lead me to start searching Russian historical and mythological entities to see if there were any that may have used three knights. Specifically any that may have one called like Noon Sun or may Red Sun.” 

The sound of keys being hit came over the laptops speaker. The next thing to come out was, “Okay, I'm finding something about a Russian fairy tale about someone named Vasilissa.” 

“Yes,” Dipper replied before continuing his explanation, “I also factored in the orangish trees that Mabel saw near two of our battles, that disappeared afterwords. It was like whoever this Mistress is, she's watching us. Mixing the stuff about the Knights and the orangish trees that moved, I came to only one conclusion. The Mistress is the Iron Hag, Baba Yaga herself. She is one of the oldest mythological entities in Russian mythology.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 58 is in the books. The gang are walking in a woodland path to the Shack after splitting from Tambry and Tony. Ghosteyes is hiding Gideon at the Fractured Skull. While taking care of James, Stan explains to Ford about his marriage. Afterwords James goes to rescue Gillian only for the Stan twins to volunteer to go with him. Tab introduces him self to Tony after Tony witnesses an aspect of Tambry's powers. At the Shack Dipper and the gang learn about James and Gillian, and that the Stan's went to help him do something. Adam and Wildbill discuss some of the days events. Yami and the Stan twins enter the old shop and prepare to face Gillian's captors. Two of the White Knight Rays make a plan to face the Stans and Yami. And finally Dipper reveals what he has figures out about the identity of the Mistress. 
> 
> Alright here are ten of my favorite ongoing or incomplete GF stories. Again you may need to travel to FF . net to read some of these. I read all ratings:  
> 1\. The Return To Gravity Falls by EZB  
> 2\. Pines Will Be Pines by SuperGroverAway  
> 3\. WenDip: Rethink Everything by Pinkie The Mouse  
> 4\. Growning UP by Nikki Firesong  
> 5\. Dead Falls by Samuel Sadi  
> 6\. Demon Fox & Track And Feels by thomaspheasant  
> 7\. Dipper Pines, Paranormal Detective by mdizzle  
> 8\. Dystopia by PaxRomaDacia  
> 9\. Gravity Falls: Worlds Apart by Geekngroom  
> 10\. The Chocolate Bar Pact by Predominantly Normal 
> 
> The names so far:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ). 
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-5 9-18-15-14 8-1-7 1-14-4 8-5-18 11-14-9-7-8-20-19 20-18-24 20-15 16-18-5-16-1-18-5 20-8-5 8-5-18-15-5-19 6-15-18 23-5-1-20 4-9-19-1-19-20-5-18?


	59. Chapter 59

** Chapter 59 **

**Gillian's hideout**

As the Stan's and Yami headed slowly towards the back of the storefront, Ford took note that the brass knuckle on Stan's right hand was giving off a faint glow. He'll have to ask about that later. As they got halfway back a soft sound came from Ford's wrist. As he looked down at his watch he motioned for them to stop. 

“We're being watched, there's a camera here some where.”, Ford said as he looked towards the ceiling. 

“Well then there's no need to be stealthy about this then,” Stan said as he boldly walked towards the office in the back.

“There it is,” Ford said as he zapped the camera. 

Stan made it to the door and grabbed the handle. Just as quickly he withdrew his hand. Looking at the others he said, “It's ice cold.”

“She froze the door,” Yami muttered as he walked up to the door.

“Who did kiddo?”, Stan asked looking at the masked teenager.

“And how did they?”, Ford added, “Is it magic, some sort of mythical creature, or is it technological created/”

“This Asian chick, I'd say she was cute but she's the one that tried to freeze my skull earlier. So maybe a little bit psycho,” Yami replied to Stan. He then turned to Ford, “I'm not sure how she did it, she just shot ice out of her hand and a block of it surrounded my head. If I hadn't fell down hard enough for it to shatter I wouldn't be here now.” 

**Gideon's residence**

Robbie was seated at the kitchen table still processing the information he had been given minutes ago. The girls were searching for any items that may be able to help them try to figure out who took Gideon from school. 

'I still don't believe it, she is the cousin of that smarmy little huckster. He and his family were almost as bad as the Pines,' Robbie was thought as he took a drink of the orange juice he had in front of him, 'But then again, if I could find the source of his unnatural charisma and add it to my own I could do even more than rule this valley. I could potentially rule the world, if not more.' 

“Robbie dear, we need to go find my cousin.”, Blair called to him as the three girls walked into the kitchen. 

“Well how do we go about that?”, Robbie asked looking up at his girlfriend as she walked over to him.

“You and I'll head out in your van, while Charlene and Jenni go in her car. The town's not that big, we should be able to find him.”, Blair said as she started to pull him to his feet. 

Alright, alright. You're lucky you're cute.”, Robbie said as they headed to the van, “but we need to talk while we're looking for the kid.”

**Piedmont, CA  
Pines family car**

Adam was driving with Wildbill in the passenger seat. The radio was blasting Country music since the twins weren't there to complain about it.

“Alright Adam, thanks for giving me a ride to grab the truck. No point in leaving it there when I'm not even gonna be around,” Wildbill said as his head bobbed with the music. 

“No problem. All I would have been doing was watching the boob tube,” Adams said before he went back to singing along to the music. 

BOOOM

“What in the name of all that is holy was that?”, Adam called as they saw a car explode a couple blocks ahead of them. 

“Pull over we may need to help someone,” Wildbill said as he was already unbuckling his belt, by the time the car had stopped he saw a flash of fire flying towards a familiar red form. “Polden'!”

“Will, what are you doing?”, Adam called as he saw his friend pull a bandanna out of his pocket and watched as he tied it around his face. 

“The guy in red is one of the guys the kids have been fighting, I'm gonna go see what I can do try and stop him.”, Wildbill said as pulled up his left pant leg and reached into his boot. He pulled out a bowie knife and he ran towards the fight. 

After he was parked Adam popped the trunk and pulled out the tire iron. He wasn't sure what he would be able to do but he wait around and do nothing.

**Gravity Falls  
Gillian's hideout**

After two attempts at turning the handle, Stan attempted to ram the door. It was nothing like you see on TV. He didn't comically bounce off the door, he also didn't look like he dislocated his shoulder. All that happened was the door slightly budged. Wanting Stan to still be in fighting shape, Ford grabbed his shoulder before he could try again and shot the two door hinges and then kicked the door inwards. He had no sooner had he done this then his gun hand was frozen over. 

“Sodium hydrogen iodine...”Ford started yelling before Stan pushed him out of the way of another blast.

“No way Sixer. If I can't cuss normally, you can't nerd cuss.”, Stan called as Ford was getting up. He saw Ford raise the frozen hand at him and it started to glow. The heat from the blast melted the ice while the blast itself knocked the rapier heading for Stan's head into the door frame. 

The sword wielding man rushed through the door and went after Stan. Using his boxing training and some other skills he learned in Columbia, Stan was able to dodge most of the thrusts at him and knock the others away with his knuckles. 

The Asian woman in white came out and went after Ford. She shot a blast at his and he swung his coat up to take the hit. As the weight of the frozen coat pulled against his hand, Fore released it and fired a shot towards where the ice blast had come from. Looking around he realized he hasn't seen the kid since before this started.

In the office Yami was removing the gag from Gillian's mouth. Once that was done she said, “What are you doing in here, get out there and help them. Stan could get hurt.” 

“Sorry, I wanted to make sure they hadn't hurt you.”, Yami said as he went to cut her bonds, “Besides why should I worry about them. I let them come as a distraction.”

“Well right now go help them, you can get me once it's done.”, Gillian practically barked at him, “They were good enough to help you, you need to return the favor. Just by helping, they should have proven they are the type of people you are always saying you want to help.”

“You're right,” Yami said as he face-palmed himself.

Stan appeared to be getting backed into a corner by the swordsman and finally felt one of his shoulders brush the wall. Though he didn't allow the smile to show on his face, it did gleam in his eye.

Cavalier smiled as he saw that this renowned fighter had allowed himself to be backed into a corner wit a full simple swipes and lunges. He toyed with the old man a little bit longer before he decided to finally take a lunge that will actually leave a mark on this relic. He feinted a slash towards the left and as it appeared Stanley Pines was moving towards the right he lunged the blade straight towards his right shoulder.

This is what Stan was waiting for, as soon as the blade started moving he jerked his body hard to the left and allowed the lunge to drive the blade into the wall. He swung his right set of knuckles as hard as he could into an uppercut. There was a spark when the knuckles hit the blade and it suddenly shattered. The swordsman looked shocked and didn't register the left hook that sent him flying. 

While all of this had been going on Ford and the Asian ice queen were dancing their own little waltz. He had to discard his coat already and only his time on the other side of the portal had kept him from being frozen. He had set his gun down to stun. Not knowing exactly how her powers were gained he didn't want to risk damaging her suit in case it was the source of the powers. She didn't seem to have the same compunction against hurting him. She has shot several ice shard that he had just barely be able to dodge. He has just made it behind the support beam at the last shot. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he rolled out and fired hitting her in the leg. As her leg went completely numb, she dropped to the ground.

Yami came out just in time to see Stan cold-cock the guy with the sword and as he looked over the other way he saw the ice lady fall to the ground. She seemed to be ready to fire off another blast at the other Pines twin. Reaching out he used the shadows below her to jerk her hand off to the side just before another blast was fired. Releasing her hand, he gathered her shadows and slammed her head into the floor. 

**Mystery Shack**

After the revelation and the brief discussion it was decided to let everyone have time to process what this meant and to decide if they still wanted to go ahead with the their membership in the group. After pulling the cork-board off to the side as to not block the walkway from the door to the entrance to the living area, Dipper and Wendy headed up to the roof. Pacifica and Mabel went off the twins room to talk. Tambry and Tony ended the video chat in order to discuss the situation, they also were going to pass on the info to Nate and Lee. Finally Francis, Candy, and Grenda stayed in the living room to talk.

Roof

Wendy was the first one to make it up the ladder and she walked on over to the chairs. Instead of sitting though she grabbed a pine cone and chucked it at the target on the totem pole. She had thrown a second one, when it was nearly at the target it was knocked out of the air by a second cone. She looked over she saw Dipper standing there with a smile on his face. 

“Looks like someone was practicing while he was gone.,” Wendy smirked as she looked at her boyfriend.

“Well, I had to do something to keep from thinking about a certain ginger lumberjill.”, Dipper said as he threw another cone and nailed the target. Before she could say anything he added, “At least until I found out she felt the same way.” 

She looked over at him and as she did she watched his face dropped again. She was about to ask what was wrong when he spoke, “We've stepped into it again didn't we? I mean we survived Weirdmageddon but at nearly what cost. If my Grunkles hadn't pulled their switch Bill was gonna kill Mabel. Hell he had already turned you to a wall banner and I couldn't do anything to stop him. And now we have another ancient evil after us.”

He was about to continue when she put a finger on his lips. Seeing the questioning look in his eyes she said, “We survived, because of you and your family. If you're going to be stuck fighting a foreign god, then I want to be by your side doing it.”

He turned to her and as he went to hug her she pulled him into a kiss.

**Twins Room**

Pacifica was seated on Mabel's bed while Mabel was pulling items out of her closet and tossing them into two piles. In one pile she had tossed seveal stuffed animals, some shoes, a few sweaters, and a couple of head bands. In the other pile she had tossed her grappling hook, a baseball bat, and several sharp sculpting implements. 

“What are you doing Mabs?”, Pacifica asked as she watched her girlfriend.

“I'm looking for anything that I could use as a weapon against this hag,” Mabel replied as she continued her search. 

Pacifica got up and walked over to Mabel and put her hand on her shoulder. She gently pulled her out of the closet. Pulling her into a hug Pacifica said, “Mabel, we'll get through this. But you need to stay calm, we can't have you running off and going rogue on us. I can't have you doing that to me. I meant what I said at school. I love you, you and your goofiness are the most stable aspects of my life. I need that, I need you to be you. And vengeance minded Mabel is not you.” 

“I'm sorry,” Mabel said as she started to push herself out of the hug, “But for now the silly minded girl you're asking for isn't available. We're talking about going after the person who may have had two of my friends put in the hospital and may be behind the death of my mother.”

“I know. I just don't want to lose the Mabel I fell in love with to the darkness I lived in for a good portion of my life. I don't want to see you so bitter and hateful, I don't know if I could stand it.”, Pacifica said refusing to let go of Mabel. 

“I'll try for you,” Mabel said not able to stand the sad look on her girlfriend's face. She leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, “but I can't promise.” 

**Living Room**

When everyone else left Grenda turned to one of her oldest friends and saw that she was deep in thought Candy's new boyfriend also seemed to be trying to put two and two together. 

“Well I don't know about you two, but I'm ready to kick some serious behind.”, Grenda practically growled in her gruff tone, “These guys have messed with my friends too much.” 

“I'm needing to figure out if I should try to gather up more samples, some that may be more resistant to being struck by iron.”, Francis said as he started rubbing his chin. 

“And I need to work on more equipment for everyone. There are plenty of ideas in my head,” Candy added as she pulled out a notepad and started sketching out some ideas. 

**Tambry's Lair**

The sounds of keys being hit sounded out through the room and coding was was filling the screen almost as fast as Tambry could even think about it. Tony sat in awe as this was going on. As he watch her two icons were joined by a zoot suit wearing black devil.

'Hey chickadee, who's the rooster head?' The devil icon's balloon asked. Tony shot him a dirty look. 

'Jette! Yon warrior is Master Anthony, the paramour of mi'lady Delphi.' Tab's balloon answered

'Oh, so this is the boyo that's smoozing ya? She's a sweetheart so you better treat her right, rooster head.' Jette's balloon read as the icon looked towards Tony threateningly. 

After almost laughing at the little icon's balloon Tony looked over at Tambry, he saw how much she was slouched over as she was typing. Getting up he stood behind her and began a light massage on her shoulders.

“I'll give you a lifetime to continue that,” Tambry said before she realized it. She was blushing when she said,“Uhmmm, I mean thanks.”

“No problem. What type of boyfriend be if I didn't try to help when it looks like you may need it,” Tony stated as he continued the massage, “Besides I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be helping to go after an ancient god and possibly, so I'm gonna try to be as good of a boyfriend as I can till then.”

**Piedmont, CA**

You would think after having over two thousand years worth of experience, Wildbill would have known when he was running into a set up. But he saw Polden' Solntse fighting someone and he went after him. The fact Polden' was fighting some dark skinned lady with fire based powers didn't seem to register with him till he was already fighting Polden'.

“I always knew you were too much of a boyscout, you see someone fighting and you have to come stop it. Or did you see that I was involved?”, Polden' asked as he dodged away from Wildbill's blade. 

“Nah, I just smelled a donkey in the area and decided to go hunt it.”, Wildbill said as he knocked the war-club away as he pushed himself backwards, “You need to come up with new ways to try and get me, you always just draw me ou...”

The next thing Wildbill knew he was flying forwards after being hit in the left shoulder by a fireball. He rolled to the right as a second one flew at him. He had just completed a kippup when the war-club came crashing down on the spot his head had formerly occupied. He took a second to glance at Polden' before he remarked, “Whatever happened to you wanting to have our fights always be honorable.”

“What can I say, I've evolved with the times.”, Polden' said as he swung again Wildbill. 

Wildbill rolled out of the way and drew his pistol. Taking a second he fired a shot a the fire wielder as she was the one out of the range of his knife. Unfortunately the bullet melted before it could hit it's mark. Hearing the steps behind him he dropped down and swept Polden's feet out from under him. Polden's war-club hit Polden' on its way down.

“Well it looks like I'm gonna get to do what my predecessor wasn't able to do. Take out one of you bozos and end a personal issue in one quick blast,” the fire wielder said as she reared back to throw a blast at Wildbill. Just as it was about to leave her hand she was blasted out of the sky by a jet of water.

“Is this a private fight or can anyone join?”, a young Asian girl in wave patterned diver's suit asked as she sent another blast of water towards the fire wielder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 59 is in the books. We open up with the Stans and Yami heading towards where Gillian is held. Robbie and Blair prepare to look for her cousin. Adam drives Wildbill to pick up his truck, only for them to run into some trouble. The elder Pines Twins face off with two of the White Knight's Rays, while James tries to save Gillian. After the revelation of who the Mistress is the gang splits up to decide if they want to go forward with the fight. 
> 
> Well, I've been reading Star vs the Forces of Evil fics while waiting on updates from the GF fics I follow. I now have a new goal I know I'll never reach. There is a SvtFoE story titled All Sorts that has 332 chapters. That is crazy. And most of the chapters are one shots based around either Starco, Marco & Janna, Marco & Jackie, or a combination of those. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> ???/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-23-15 14-5-23 6-1-3-5-19, 15-14-5 14-5-23 7-18-1-22-5.


	60. Chapter 60

** Chapter 60 **

**Gravity Falls  
Gillian's hideout**

After the fight was over the Stan twins pulled the two villains over against one wall and using some zip-ties and rope they bound the them. Stan then rushed into the office and began to untie Gillian. While he was gone Ford grabbed a hold of James and pulled him to the side.

“What do you want old man?”, James said as he walked over to Ford.

“Well first, maybe we should let Stan be the one to help your Grandmother. It may help them to gain some closure,” Ford said as he placed a comforting hand on Yami's shoulder.

“Well maybe I don't want them getting any closer, I mean closure.” Yami said as he tried to pull away from Ford, but found the old codger was stronger than he looked.

“From the way my brother was willing to rush off to save her, the two of them may need to talk, whether you like it or not.”, Ford said as he made ot clear he wasn't taking no for an answer, “While we're waiting maybe you'd be willing to answer a few questions for me. Like maybe why you think a ghost killed your parents? It must be bad for you to have no less than twenty warding incantations inscribed on your necklace.”

“Not that its any of your concern, but I was there when the ghost killed had my father kill my mother and then it tried to kill me,” Yami said as he pulled the neck of his shirt over to show the beginning of his scar. 

“Is that how you gained your abilities?”, Ford asked as he released Yami's shoulder and pulled out a steno notepad and started taking notes. 

“I guess,” Yami replied as tried to figure out the sweater wearing twin. They had just fought a pair of super villains together and here he was questioning him. 

“And now for my final question. Why did you attack the spiritual protector of the woods of this area?”, Ford asked as he watched the masked teen's shocked body language.

**Piedmont, CA  
Battleground**

Wildbill stood there for a moment looking at his 'rescuer' with the sea blue hair and the wave patterned diver's suit. She was currently drawing the moisture out of the air to attempt to douse the fires that threatened the buildings in the area. 

“Look out!”, he yelled as a fireball flew her way. She shot her own ball of water to intercept it. 

“You really should be worrying about your own welfare,” he heard from behind him as tire from one of the damaged cars slammed into his back. 

As Wildbill started to get up, he saw Polden' pick up his war-club. His enemy looked at him and spoke, “In this modern age, I'm not completely sure I even need for you to be around. There comes a time that every dance needs to end.”

“I couldn't agree more,” Wildbill said as he picked up his weapons.

THWACK

Wildbill stood staring as Polden' fell to the ground while Adam was behind him with a smirk on his face and the tire-iron in his hand. With a laugh Wildbill turned to see the fire wielder get hit with another jet of water knocking her out of the air. Running he jumped onto the roof of a car and speared her into a wall. 

As they hit the ground he looked her in the face and even though she had said it was personal, he was shocked that he recognized her. “Colleen?”

**Gravity Falls  
Gravity Galls General Hospital**

Thompson had been moved to the trauma recovery ward. After he was situated his Parents went out to get some dinner before the cafeteria closed, so it was Nate, Lee, and Alexa in with him. Deputy Maloney had came and interviewed Thompson after he had came to, but he really didn't have much to tell him.

“Ugh,” Thompson said as he awoke again in the new room, “I feel like you two dared me to jump a moving car.”

“Joey,” Alexa said letting go of his hand and hugging him.

“Ow, ow, ow. Careful there cutie,” Thompson said through clenched teeth. 

“Good to see your at least feeling vocal man,” Lee said as he fist bumped Thompson's right hand.

“You had us scared there for a bit man,” Nate said to his friend.

“You did it again didn't you?”, Thompson asked as he looked at Nate, “You were able to drive out whatever was used to knock me out.” 

Looking over at Alexa before deciding to answer. Nate replied, “I'm not sure, I did glow a bit when I first touched you earlier. But I couldn't tell you for certain.” 

“That means that whatever was done to me may have been similar to what happened to the twins' dad,” Thompson said rubbing his eyes some, “Does anyone think this is connected?”

“We're gonna take shifts watching over you till you get let out, Lee and I are on the first shift. I think Wendy and Dr Funtimes are taking the first shift after school tomorrow.”

“What exactly are you guys talking about?”, Alexa asked looking between the three guys. 

“Well to be completely honest it's something we'd need to talk to the rest of the guys about. We've said too much as it is,” Thompson said looking into her eyes, “When you get back to Nate's he can call them and see how they feel about letting you in on it. If it was just my secret, you'd already know it but it's not.”

“Sounds fair,” Alexa replied. She wanted to know what was going on, but she understood that whatever it was affected more than the three here. She had her own secrets she wouldn't want someone to share without asking her permission first. 

**Bunker**

Francis, Candy, and Grenda had went down into the Bunker after they had made their decision. Francis wanted to check his geological supplies he had started collecting in his new room. Candy had went to find Fiddleford to brainstorm about new equipment ideas and see if her workshop had been finished yet. Grenda had decided to come claim her room before all of the good ones were taken. 

“Alright girls, here's my stop.” Francis said as he got to the hall where his bedroom was. Pointing down the opposite hallway he told Candy, “I believe that your workshop is down that way.”

“I will see you in a little amount of time,” Candy said before she gave him a peck on the cheek. Turning she and Grenda went down the hall. 

The girls passed a room labeled laundry room, two bedrooms along that same side of the hall, and one labeled CHARGER Repair and Charging station. Finally after a small jog in the hall, they found her workshop on the same side as the bedrooms. Walking back the two girls decided to claim those two bedrooms, Candy took the one closest to her workshop and the CHARGER RaC room. Grenda stayed at her newly claimed room and started making it her own. Candy went back to her workshop and walked in, she noticed a lot of the equipment she had been using at Mr. McGucket's was already waiting on her.

“I can work with this,” she said as she put on a lab coat and some gloves. 

**Gillian's hideout**

Stan rushed into the office and started untying Gillian as soon as they had made sure the two villains were restrained. 

“Hey there beautiful, come here often?”, he joked as he started working on the knots holding her torso to the chair. 

“Still spouting those cheesy one liners?”, Gillian chuckled as he was trying to get her loose. 

“Hey, at least I'm consistent.”, he replied as he finally worked the first knot loose, “And if I remember right, you used to love those cheesy one liners.” 

“Stan, thank you for coming.”, Gillian said as he loosened another knot.

“You're welcome. I'm the one though that should be thanking you. Not for getting kidnapped, but for coming back into town. For giving the town another chance,” Stan said making sure he was still behind her and out of her sight. With a smile he thought, 'And maybe you will even give me another chance.' 

**Piedmont, CA  
Battleground**

Still staring at his former student Wildbill was trying to figure out what exactly was going on. He felt someone walk up to him and turns quickly with his gun drawn. 

“Whoa, slow down cowboy. I'm on your side, at least I think so.”, the Asian teenager said looking down the barrel of the gun, “Do you know her?”

“I thought I did,” Wildbill said as he stood up, “The names Desperado, who are you?”

“You can call me Tsunami and I thought I was gonna be the only hero in the area,” Tsunami said with a smirk, “Looks like I was wrong.”

“Not by long kid, I'm leaving town this weekend.”, Wildbill said as he looked over to make Polden' was still on the ground. Adam had went back to making sure no one was trapped in any of the cars that were affected by the fight. Pulling out his phone he took a shot of Colleen and sent it to Tambry. He also sent a quick text to Adam saying it would be best if he met him later in order to keep them from being connected. He looked back at Tsunami and said, “You may want to keep her drenched to keep her from flaming up, I'll go take care of her friend. We want them to be properly restrained when the police arrive.” 

“Sounds good to me cowboy,” Tsunami said with a chuckle as she brought more of the moisture out of the air and cocooned the fire wielder in water from her shoulders down. 

Wildbill started over towards where Polden' and pulled off his belt planning to use it to bind him. He had just made it three quarters of the way towards the fallen Polden' when he heard a sickening thwack coming from behind him. As he turned he saw Colleen standing over a fallen Tsunami with a hunk of cement in her hand. 

“Well 'Desperado', how are you gonna explain this to the twins?”, Colleen called as she shot a fireball at Adam who at this time had his back towards the battle. 

Wildbill rushed to put himself in between his best friend and the fireball flying at him, “Adam, watchout!”

Adam had just turned around when Wildbill pushed him out of the way. He saw him get hit in the back by a fireball.

**Gravity Falls  
Gillian's hideout**

Stan and Gillian walked out hand in hand into the main hall. Seeing her Yami ran over and gave her a hug as befitting a grandson. 

“Good, you're safe.”, James said as he pulled away from her. 

“Of course, it seemed as if you were the on they were really after. They wanted to use me as a bargaining chip to get you to use your abilities for criminal gains,” Gillian said as she backed away from her 'grandson'. 

“Speaking of the bad guys, where are they?”, Stan said as he looked over to where they had tied the villains up. 

**Piedmont, CA  
Battleground**

Adam rushed over and checked out his friend. He turned him over and saw he was breathing. 

“That really wasn't as bad as it looked,” Wildbill said as he started to sit up, “It really doesn't feel much worse than a sunburn.”

He looked back over to where Tsunami and Colleen were. Colleen had been joined by Polden' and they had a hold of Tsunami.

“So how do you like my new friend, Wilhelm? She is such a better Hot Shot than your little godchild's friend. A lot more mature and in control of her emotions,” Polden' said as he ran a hand under Hot Shot's chin. He then turned his face to look at their captive, “Now what should I do with this one? Convert her? That is a possibility.”

Polden' ran his hand under her jaw like he had done with Hot Shot II, “Or I could just hold her as a hostage to insure our escape.”

“But really neither of those sound tempting,” Polden' said as a small shimmering light generated to his right. He reached into the light as he continued, “but since I'm just to test you and I just want you to suffer, I'll just do this!”

As he pulled his hand out of the shimmering light, is was easy to see it held a twelve inch bayonet. He then rammed the blade into Tsunami's chest. As she fell, Polden' and Hot Shot II disappeared in a flash of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 60 is in the books. We start off with Ford questioning Yami. Then we join Wildbill and his new ally in their fight with Polden' and the fire wielder. Adam gets a hit in. Alexa learns the gang has a secret the guys tell her they have to see if they can share it. Francis, Candy, and Grenda head to the Bunker to prepare for what's coming. Stan frees Gillian. The fight in Piedmont continues with a tragic out come. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> ???/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-19-21-14-1-13-9 9-19 7-15-14-5, 14-15-23 9-19 20-9-13-5 6-15-18 19-15-13-5 6-1-9-20-8.


	61. Chapter 61

** Chapter 61 **

**Mystery Shack  
Roof**

Wendy and Dipper were seated in the folding chairs just watching the skyline, trying to not think about anything. Or at least Wendy was, she could tell Dipper was starting to stress out over the upcoming trials. She squeezed his hand in a reassuring manner. 

“Look man, we've done this before. And that was before we got these awesome powers. We'll do what we always do and get through this,” Wendy said in a calming manner.

“I know, I guess I'm just over thinking things again.” Dipper replied squeezing her hand in return

“Now as much as I'd love to spend all night up her with my favorite dork, I need to go get my homework done for school tomorrow.”, Wendy said as she got out of her chair. Now standing she pulled him up and into a hug before saying, “And I bet you have some to do too.” 

“You're right,” Dipper said as he released the hug.

“Tell Soos, I won't need a ride.”, Wendy said as she leaned down and gave him a quick kiss. She then went ahead and jumped down the trees to the ground.

“Call me when you get home,” Dipper called out to her before she walked away. 

“Gotcha dork,” Wendy called back. After he watched her disappear up the drive heading home, Dipper headed back down the ladder inside.

**Twins room**

After finally getting Mabel to stop looking for potential weapons Pacifica had pulled her over to the bad and just sat with her. She held onto her hand trying to send as much reassurance as she could through the simple gesture.

“I'm sorry for worrying you Paz, it's just this isn't easy for me. It's all just piling on and I'm not sure how well I can carry it,” Mabel said looking down at the floor, “If you weren't here I don't know what I would be doing. I'm not even sure a trip to sweater town would do anything.” 

“Well, I'm here for you. And I know Dipper, Wendy, your Grunkles, your dad, and the rest are also. You don't need to hold it in, talk to us. Let us help you, like you've helped us.”, Pacifica said pulling Mabel into a hug. 

“Where are you staying tonight, Paz?”, Mabel asked. 

“I was going back to McGucket's for the night, why?”, Pacifica said as she rubbed her girlfriend's hair. 

“Think you could stay here tonight? You know a sleep over,” Mabel said shyly.

“Why Mabel Pines, I didn't know you had it in you.”, Pacifica said with a mock tone of surprise, “Asking me to do something so scandalous. Why to even think of it is to besmirch my honor.”

“Oh no, I must not allow you to besmirch your honor for one such as myself.” Mabel replied getting into the act with her girlfriend, “You would never live down the shame.”

They both stared at each other for a moment and then cracked up laughing. 

“I just thought of something. You've already done something for me that besmirched your honor,” Mabel said looking very serious.

“Wait, what?”, Pacifica asked in all seriousness. She really couldn't think of anything she had done for Mabel that would have damaged her honor. 

“Hmm, now what was it again.” Mabel said scratching her head, “Oh yeah this!”

And with that Mabel pulled Pacifica into a big kiss. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, until they heard, “Ahem.” 

Ignoring the sound they continued until they again heard, “Ahem!”

Pulling away from each other they saw Dipper standing in the doorway. 

“Aw broseph, why ya gotta smooch-block me.”, Mabel said in a false huff. 

“Well we need to get something to eat and then do our homework. We do still have school tomorrow,” Dipper said replied. He turned around and headed back downstairs. 

“You know, food does sound good.”, Pacifica said as her stomach started to grumble.

**Gillian's hideout**

The four of them searched the building for the two villains that had been tied up. While they move around Stan grabbed the broken blade from the wall to keep as a trophy. After they had searched everywhere they regathered outside of the office. 

“I want you two to grab enough stuff for a night or two, you're coming back to the shack.”, Stan said in a tone that said he wasn't taking no for an answer. 

“Alright,” Gillian said as she went in and grabbed her suitcases and a few of her drinks from the minifridge. 

As James headed to the back Ford stopped him and said, “You may want to change into some regular clothes before we leave. We'll continue our talk later.” 

After about ten minutes Stan and ford were in the Diablo, while Gillian and James followed in her car. 

“Now this is normally where you ask me 'What are you planning Poindexter?',” Ford said as he looked over at Stan, “but since this was your idea. What in the multi-verse are you think, Ley?”

“I'm thinking we couldn't leave them there where they've already been attacked once,” Stan said as he kept his eyes on the road. 

“Well, you've certainly figured out by now that the boy is the same one that attempted to exorcise Wendy last week?”, Ford continued.

“Yeah, I know. But I've got to help her, Sixer.”, Stan replied.

“What do you think Dipper is gonna do when he figures out who he is?”, Ford asked looking back at the other car. 

“Look Sixer, I've only had three regrets in my life. Now that you're here and we've made up, that's taken care of two of them.”, Stan replied still staring straight forward, “She's the third. I royally screwed up back then and I need to do something to make it right.” 

“Alright, but you're the one who has to explain to Dipper why the guy who tried to destroy his girlfriend is staying in the Portable Motel.”, Ford relented. 

**Mystery Shack**

Dipper seemed to have just sent a text as he was putting away his phone when the girls got down stairs. He was busy making turkey salad sandwiches and reheating green bean casserole. They were about to ask him what he was doing when he pointed to a note on the fridge, 'Tonight's a leftovers night, no time to cook dinner. Taking Grenda and Candy home, then catching a movie. Soos and Melody'. 

They had just sat down and started eating when Mabel's phone went off. Swallowing she answered, “Whatcha need Unka Cowboy.”

Her playful face went serious again as she said, “Yeah I know where you're talking about. I'll be there as fast as I can.” 

Grabbing Dipper and Pacifica's hand she intoned, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!”

The familiar golden light enveloped them and the next thing they knew they were in the Bunker. 

“Get to the Medical Lab and be ready, we've got wounded coming in. Paz, I hope you've been reading your first aide books.” Mabel said before kissing her on the cheek.

Looking down she intoned, “Xolgs Lu Kilgvxgrlm! Tzgv Lu Gizevo!”

Her clothes flowed into her costume as she disappeared in the familiar golden glow. 

**Tambry's Lair**

Tony was still staring in awe as Tambry was building up code like she was reciting the alphabet. He continued to gently massage her shoulders. They had only stopped briefly when she had received a text from Wildbill that included a picture of the girl he had been questioned about her disappearance. Tony mentioned that she had appeared to be wearing a costume similar to one worn by the guy who killed himself trying to kill Pacifica. She sent Asta to find any more video or pics of her that originated near Wildbill's phone location.

She had just finished typing up section of code she was working on when Asta's icon came back on the screen. Her word balloon said, 'Hey toots, I've found two videos posted of the fight and at least one with a clear shot of the flame chick.” 

“Alright, time to send the link and the pic to the Piedmont PD missing persons anonymous tip line,” Tambry said to the Asta. 

'Done and done.' Asta's balloon read. 

“Well that should help Wildbill.”, Tambry said looking back at Tony.

“Yeah, and now that the work is done I want to spend a couple of minutes just with you.” Tony said as he leaned forward and hugged her, “Sorry guys.”

Reaching forward he shut off the monitors. 

“I know we want to take this slow, but I need to do this.” Tony said as he leaned forward and gave her a simple kiss on the cheek. 

“What was that for?”, Tambry asked with a surprised blush. 

“Consider it a promise kiss,” Tony said holding her hand, “when I'm truly ready for this to go faster, I'll give you a better one.”

He looked at his watch and then said, “I'm gonna have to get going, I have school work to get done and I figure you do also.”

“Yeah, I do.” She said as she got up and pulled him into another hug. When she let go of him she said, “And you didn't need to do that, but I'm glad you did.”

After he grabbed his backpack she walked him to the door. She gave him another hug as he was leaving. Once he was out of sight she headed back down to her lair and turned the monitors back on.

Asta's icon had a word balloon waiting for her. It read 'Well toots, ya did good. Not only is he cute, but he seems like a good guy also. A promise kiss, I like it.'

“What are you talking about?”, Tambry blushed as she asked. She knew the monitors were off, so they shouldn't have been able to see that. 

Asta's icon had a cat eating grin as her balloon read, 'He may have turned off the monitors, but he forgot the camera.'

**Bunker  
Medical Lab**

After scrubbing down and pulling out the basic equipment, Dipper and Pacifica hoped they were ready for whatever Mabel was bringing back. They only had to wait seconds before they saw the golden glow. Mabel and Wildbill carrying a teenager.

“I've done what I can do without being able to see what the internal damage is like.”, Mabel said as Wildbill laid the girl on the table. 

“Alright my turn I guess,” Dipper said as he shrunk down to the size of a fairy. With the back light behind him, he looked int other chest wound and from what he could see it looked like Mabel's spells had repaired what damage that was visible. As he pulled out he walked out of the finger of the glove. As he jumped off of the girl he shifted back to his regular size.

“It looks like the internal damage I could see was healed by your spell, but there could easily be fluid on here lungs so several other issues. We need to get her to someone who really knows what they're doing,” Dipper said, “Mabel change her hair color, Pacifica see if we have any clothes in her size. Then we're gonna take her to the hospital.”

**Road to the Mystery Shack**

Stan and Ford had stopped talking shortly after they had left Gillian's. And to be honest Stan wished they hadn't the conversation kept his mind from running over the various scenarios that were running through his brain. 

“Whoa, slow down Ley.”, Ford said as they were about to turn onto the road leading back to the Shack, “Is that Tony?”

“Sure is,” Stan replied as he started rolling down his window, “What are you doing out here kiddo?”

“On my way back from Tambry's house,” Tony answered.

“Hop in,” Stan called him, “you shouldn't be out this late.”

“Thanks Grunkle Stan, hey grandpa.”, Tony said as he got in the back of the Diablo, “Do you guys know you're being followed?”

“Yeah, it's Ley's ex wife. Her and her grandson are gonna crash in Adam's room for a night or two,” Ford explained looking back at his grandson, it may be weird but he's already accepted the Clondikes as his grandchildren. 

“Normal Gravity Falls weirdness or our new type of weirdness?”, Tony asked looking back at the car following them. 

“New type I'm afraid,” Ford replied

“And you guys didn't call us?”, Tony said as he turned back to the front of the car. He just notice that Grandpa Ford wasn't wearing his coat. 

“We handled it kiddo,” Stan said as he pulled in front of the Shack. 

As they were getting out to the car, they saw Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica, and Wildbill carrying a teenager towards the lot.

“Oh good you guys are here,” Dipper said as they walked to the Diablo, “We were afraid we were going to have to run her to the hospital.”

Realizing there was more than family present Dipper added, “I was out for my nightly walk and found her in the woods, I think she's a lost hiker.”

“Dipper called us and we rushed out to help with her, we were able to slow her blood flow but I can only do so much with the first aid I know.” Pacifica added. 

“Ley you get our guests situated, I'll help the kids get this girl to the hospital.”, Ford told his brother before he grabbed the keys from Stan. 

“Alright Sixer,” Stan said as he led Gillian and James to the Portable Motel Room. 

“Girls get her into the back. Dipper you and William are in the front with me,” Ford said as he got behind the wheel. When they all were in the car he continued, “That way you two can explain to me why you're here and who she is?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 61 is in the books. Wendy and Dipper have another heartfelt moment before she heads for home. Pacifica is able to cheer Mabel up some and then Dipper walks in on them kissing. Stan decides to bring Gillian and James to the Shack to protect them, under protest from Ford. As Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica are getting dinner Mabel get's a call that requires the three of them to head to the Bunker's Medical Lab before Mabel has to head to Piedmont. Tambry and her totems find more evidence to clear Wildbill. Then she and Tony share a quick moment before he heads home. Mabel returns with Wildbill and Tsunami, who they decide to take to GF hospital. The Stans pick up Tony, make it back to the Shack, and then Ford takes Tsunami and the rest to the hospital. 
> 
> At 9:39 pm Sunday, July 31st I became a grandfather. Here's to lil Josh. 
> 
> As I've said before I've been working on mapping out the Bunker in my spare time and I'm wondering if there are rooms you think the team may want/need to have. Here is the current list of room's I have: Hidden Stairwell (the tree entrance), Storage Room (first room seen in 'Into The Bunker'), Hidden Passage (the trap room seen in 'Into The Bunker'), Control Room (the room Soos and Mabel spent most of the time in during 'Into The Bunker'), Main Hall (room the cryogenic tube was in during 'Into The Bunker'), Cryogenics Room, Delphi's Computer Room, Living/Recreation Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Laundry, Delphi's Bedroom, Alexa's Bedroom, Soos & Melody's Bedroom, Stan's Bedroom, Ford's Bedroom, Fiddleford's Bedroom, Thompson's Bedroom, Lee's Bedroom, Vaccine's Bedroom, Flux's Bedroom, Freerunner's Bedroom, Grenda's Bedroom, Schematic's Bedroom, Charger's Bedroom, Galmur's Bedroom, Shifter's Bedroom, Will O's Bedroom, Yami's Bedroom, Wildbill's Bedroom, Adam's Bedroom, Testosteraur's Bedroom, 12 Guest Bedrooms, Waddles Pen, Shifter's Study, CHARGER Unit Laboratory, Schematic's Laboratory, Combat Training Room, Training Control Room, Natatorium (Woman’s Shower/Locker Room, Men's Shower/Locker Room, Pool, Wave Pool, Hot Tub), Gymnasium, Medical Laboratory, a Hydroponic Farm (to grow food), & a Vehicle Bay (Plane exit will be under Gideon's old warehouse, haven't placed the ground exits yet) When I have it done it will be posted to my Deviant Art account. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> ???/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 8-5-25, 8-5-25, 20-8-5 7-1-14-7'19 1-12-12 8-5-18-5.


	62. Chapter 62

** Chapter 62 **

The Diablo was moving through the streets of Gravity Falls, racing towards the hospital. In the front seats were Ford, Dipper, and Wildbill. The back held Mabel and Pacifica with an unconscious Asian female teen across the laps. 

“Ok, so let me get this straight. You were fighting a guy who claims you are the reincarnation of his eternal enemy and you ex,” Ford said not taking his eyes off the road.

“Student, she was my student, nothing more.”, Wildbill said curtly with the knuckles on his right hand turning white from the way Ford was driving. 

“Fighting you immortal enemy and your ex-student, when she showed up”, Ford said flicking his thumb back at the young girl in the back, “and joined the fight helping even the odds.”

“Yeah, she has some water based powers and it really neutralized Colleen or as she was calling herself, Hot Shot's powers.”, Wildbill replied, now worried he was going to rip the door handle off the way Ford was driving. The only one who seemed unfazed by Ford's driving was Mabel and that's cause she was muttering some type of incantation to slow down her bleeding and keep the girl's body from going into shock.

“Wait, Hot Shot? That's what the guy who tried to kill me to get back at Mabel called himself,” Pacifica said as she looked up from the girl whose head was in Mabel's lap.

“Yeah, apparently they're not to creative when it comes to names or powers.”, Wildbill replied through gritted teeth as Ford somehow managed to get the Diablo around a little sports car before the pickup coming the other way would have hit them. 

Dipper thought for a moment back to the last time he was in such a harrowing ride. Remembering he asked, “Grunkle Ford when did you last drive a car?”

“Uhm, Nineteen-Eighty-One.”, Ford said as he swerved into the drive closest to the Emergency Room entrance, “Stan does the driving.” 

As Ford pulled up to the entrance Wildbill hopped out of the Diablo and practically ripped open the back door. Dipper ran into the ER and told the charge nurse they had a bleeding accident victim that was found on a hiking trail and they needed a stretcher. 

A nurse rushed back out with Dipper and a stretcher. Wildbill loaded Tsunami onto it and the nurse rushed her inside. 

“Paz you head on in, I'll be there in a second.”, Mabel said as she reached over and held Pacifica's hand, “Just gonna make sure Grunkle Ford doesn't wreck the car while trying to park.” 

“Alright, I'll be inside making sure your brother doesn't try to tell the Doctor what to do.”, Pacifica said with a smirk and a wink before she got out of the car. 

Ford pulled the car away and headed towards the parking lot, “So why did you really stay with me?”

“Something Dipper said earlier made me think,” Mabel said with a shrug, “We are in a new school and if we're really going to be doing this, we're going to want to be at our best. I'm gonna pop back to the Shack and grab our backpacks so we can do our school work. If I'm going to use my powers to their utmost abilities I'm going to need to understand how things work better and to do that I'm going to need to study.”

**Piedmont, CA  
Pines house**

Adam returned back to the house not too long after he finished giving a report to the police about the incident he happened upon. He was praised by several people he had helped get out of their cars. Most were trapped do to the fight causing a small pileup. He also seemed to have gotten some admirers thanks to him risking his life to help the two that seemed to be heroes by slamming his tire-iron across the villains skull. It seemed as if no one remembered what happened after the villains had disappeared. Most seemed to think the injured girl that Mabel and William took with them was killed by the blast that happened when the villains disappeared. He just hoped they had got her the help she needed in time. 

**Gravity Falls  
Nate's house**

Nate and Lee were sitting at the dining room table finishing up the homework they had. Alexa was eating a sandwich and checked over her new friend's work. 

“Ok, I know you're probably dying to ask. Right now I'll answer only for myself,” Nate said after he was done, “But I have a question or two to ask you myself.”

“Well I guess we'll do an exchange then,” Alexa said through a bite of her sandwich, “I'll go first. What did Joey mean when he asked if you had done it again?”

“Well a couple of weeks ago I was attacked by a creature with a dangerous poison,” Nate started out explaining, “after spending the night in the hospital I ended up developing certain resistances. Later I visited a friend who was under a drug induced sleep. Thompson and I went to help shift him to prevent possible bed sores, when I touched him there was a glow that seemed to radiate from where I touched him and it seemed to flow over him. The next thing we knew he was waking up after nearly three days of sleep.”

“Man, that sounds...”, Alexa started before she paused as if she was wanting to make sure she worded what she wanted to say right, it took her less than three seconds. When she felt she had the right word she continued, “intriguing. Have you noticed if you are able to do anything else with this ability?”

“That's two questions now, but I'll answer it. So far I've found that at least some type of poisons don't seem to affect me. I discovered that by accident,” Nate said sheepishly.

“That wasn't cool man,” Lee added shaking his head, “seriously who sits their can of Pitt down next to a can of Evac-O drain cleaner.”

“Ok, it wasn't my finest moment. But it all worked out,” Nate shrugged, “The hospital trip was short, they even asked if we were pranking them.”

“They still pumped his stomach and boy were they surprised went they analyzed the contents,” Lee said shutting his algebra book, “They told us we were so lucky to get him there so fast.” 

“But I was so caught up in fixing the drain that it took me nearly thirty minutes to realize what I had done,” Nate continued. 

“You could have been killed,”, Alexa said before asking, “How did you not realize that you had made the mistake? The taste should have been a warning if nothing else.”

“I had made an extra spicy curry for lunch, I couldn't have tasted wasabi if I had wanted to.”, Nate laughed a little. Looking at her he decided to finally ask his question, “And now my question. When we came to pick you up earlier you were hiding in here, where were you?” 

**Mystery Shack  
Portable Motel Room**

Gillian and James marveled at the modern looking structure that was behind the shabby looking Mystery Shack. 

“Now when did you add the new building Stan?”, Gillian asked before the three of them went inside.

“It's some Ford put in when we heard my nephew's family was coming up for the holidays. 

“Oh, you're not kicking him out for us are you? I mean those are his kids I saw right? If they're still here, isn't he?”, Gillian asked. 

Stan Looked around for a moment before he said, “Well you heard about the pile up the weekend before Thanksgiving, his wife was one of those involved. He and the kids decided to move up here since their old home would be too hard without her there. He had to go back to give his two weeks notice and put their house for sale. The kids stayed up to start school. We'll have another room ready for him when he get's back.”

“I'm so sorry,” Gillian said as she put her hand on Stan's. 

**Gravity Falls Memorial Hospital  
Emergency Room**

Dipper had just repeated for the fourth time how he had went out for a walk in the woods near the Shack and had come across the young lady laying near one of the hiking trails. This last time was to Sheriff Blubs. He looked back over to where his family sat, which was exactly where the gang had sat earlier when checking on Thompson. Pacifica and Mabel were working on their homework with Ford and Wildbill helping when needed. He had finished what little homework he hadn't done before leaving school in between explanations. 

“Alright city boy,” Blubs smiled as he called Dipper by his old nick name, “do you think you could lead us to where you found the girl?”

“Not completely sure I could, once I found her I rushed her back to the Shack as fast as I could. Really didn't pay too much attention to where we were,” Dipper said. 

“Ok, ok.”, Blubs said as he shook his head, “Well if you think of anything else, you know where the station is at.” 

Dipper walked back over to his family and sat down. He pulled out his phone, as he went to start typing he noticed he had no bars. 

“I'm stepping outside to text Wendy,” Dipper said as he got up and headed towards the doors, “I'll be right back.”

'Hey Wendy, how's the homework coming?' - Dipper

'Should have stayed and got your help on this math, how's yours?' - Wendy

'Done. Currently back at the hospital.' -Dipper

'What happened? Who's hurt? Do I need to head that way?' - Wendy

'We're safe. Wildbill brought up a friend that got hurt.' - Dipper

'How bad?' - Wendy

'Wildbill's Old Friend ran her through with a bayonet near the heart. Sis slowed the bleeding down till we got her here.' - Dipper 

'Shoot, was she a bystander or..?' - Wendy

'Like us? Yeah.' - Dipper

'Wow. Hope she pulls through. Sure you don't want me to pop on over?' - Wendy

'I do, but you have homework to worry about. Mabel, Paz, Wildbill, & Ford are here with me. Gonna need to get back in there. Looks like a doctor just came out to talk to Ford.' - Dipper

“Ok. Remember you mean a lot to me, so be careful.' - Wendy

'You too. Love ya.' - Dipper

'Love you too.' - Wendy

Dipper headed back into the waiting room. Once he walked up to the group he heard the doctor say, “...lucky to be alive. If you hadn't got her here when you did, she may not have survived. She lost a lot of blood. It's still going to be a rough trip, but we'll do our best to help her pull through. Are any questions?”

“What are her odds?”, Ford asked 

“Right now if I had to, I'd say approximately thirty percent. But that's better than if you guys hadn't found her and brought her in,” the doctor replied. 

“Is there any chance we could see her?”, Mabel asked holding Pacifica's hand as she does.

“Not tonight. She's still considered in critical condition. You may be able to visit her tomorrow, after school of course.”, the doctor replied.

“Thank you doctor, we'll be by tomorrow then.”, Ford said as he motioned for the kids to gather up their stuff. The doctor headed back into the Emergency Room. 

**Nate's house**

“Well I was hidden right over there,” Alexa replied to Nate's question as she pointed towards the fridge. 

“You mean on top of the fridge?”, Lee asked

“No, here.”, Alexa said as she walked over to the space between the fridge and the wall.

“No way, you couldn't fit in there.”, Lee said. 

Looking on Nate and Lee saw the space around her seem to wiggle and then they saw her standing in the gap between the fridge and the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 62 is in the books. Ford drives the others to the hospital in order to get Tsunami help. Mabel decides she needs to buckle down and get serious about her position and abilities. Adam makes it back home and thinks about the what had happened. Nate, Lee, and Alexa have a discussion about his abilities. Stan shows James and Gillian to the PMR. Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica, Ford, and Wildbill are in the Emergency Room waiting room. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> ???/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.


	63. Chapter 63

** Chapter 63 **

When they got back to the Shack, Mabel returned Wildbill to his apartment so he could pick up his truck to take it on over to the Pines residence. While she was doing that Pacifica was in changing into some sleep clothes she had left when she was consoling Mabel after her mother died. Meanwhile Dipper used the enlarging ray on Mabel's bed so it would hold the two girls easier. Once he was done and Pacifica had came back into the room, he went and changed in the bathroom. He thought of crashing down with his cousins, but he decided to just sleep in his bed. It's not like the girls were pulling a sleepover. Mabel changed after he was done and then crawled into the bigger bed. 

“Well ladies, I'll see you in the morning.”, Dipper said as he turned the lamp on the end table off.

“Night Dip,” Pacifica said before she turned and hugged Mabel, “Night.”

“Sweet dreams,” Mabel replied as she gave Pacifica a kiss on the cheek. She then lifted her head up and said, “Night broseph.”

The next couple of days went by without a hitch. 

**Thursday November 29th, 2012**

On Thursday Mary was apparently out sick, so Tony didn't have to worry about her. Wendy and Dipper had taken the first shift with Thompson. Thompson remembered he had the tutoring gig, after learning it was calculus Dipper offered to cover for him. He and Wendy showed up at the library at a quarter after six and waited for the students being tutored. Seeing Dipper there instead of Thompson made the girls try to leave, until Wendy reminded the girls that the teacher assigned them a tutor in Thompson and Dipper has volunteered to cover for him while he's in the hospital. By the end of the session one of the girls, Wendy later told him her name was Kassi, whispered a comment to her friends 'Well it looks like we may have a back up if once one of us get's Thompson'. Dipper ended the session as soon as he finished the explanation he was giving. And from the look Wendy was giving her, Dipper was sure she heard it also. 

After their shift with Thompson, Mabel and Pacifica tried to visit Tsunami. Since she was still in the critical care unit all they were able to do was to stand in the hall and look into the room at the girl. They learned (thanks to being part of the group that brought her in and Pacifica's last name) that she was doing good, but under sedation due to the pain from the wounds. They also noticed that she wasn't on a ventilator, so she was able to breath on her own. Mabel made sure she had a good memory of the room so she could visit her again later. After they left they decided to stop at Greasy's for hot chocolate and some pie. They continued to walk around for a little bit, before heading back to the Shack. Neither of the twins saw their visitors at all that day, they seemed to have left before they got home and came back to the Shack after the twins were in for the night. That night the familiar golden glow was seen twice in their room. 

**Friday November 30th, 2012**

Friday was similar. Tony turned in his project in his computer aided drafting class and told Mr. Arkay that he'd like to work with Pacifica on the next project and she agreed. After school he and Tambry took the first shift visiting Thompson and afterwords they went to the mall. Francis and Candy visited next and after they were done they went for another trip through the museum. Fiddleford, Ford, and Testosteraur spent the day double checking on all the work they had done. They still need to polish up some of the final touches but they are mostly done with all the necessary rooms and there were still a few unnecessary rooms they were going to add. 

Gillian and James spent most of the day in town always doing their best to stay near crowds of people. She decided she wasn't ready yet to introduce themselves to the rest of Stan's family so she was trying to stay away while they maybe in the house. She had also put a ward over the two of them that should prevent the hag's warriors from finding them. While they were out they ended up grabbing more of their gear from the old shop, including her mini fridge and the hot plate so they didn't have to eat in town so much. 

Dipper and Wendy Spent most of the time after school visiting the woods. Dipper took her to visit Multibear and found that while the hands stayed around, Celestabellebethabelle had left to attempt to find another herd before winter came. Since the girls were going to be out for the night they decided to have a movie night. After enlarging his bed a little to fit the two of them he pulled out the stack of movies and let her choose. First they watched 'Them Lives!' starring a wrestler from the 80's, they both cracked up at the fact simple sunglasses allowed the hero to be able to tell who were in actuality members of the alien overlords. Next up was 'Shocky Horror Treatment Show', at first Wendy didn't see the draw of the movie till Dipper stood up and shifted into the cross dressing psychologist Dr Haut Dawg and sung along with the altered lyrics to the songs. He would then periodically shift into other characters and while. And 'It Came From The Cupboard' was the last one, they tried to watch it but fell asleep during the first half hour of the movie. 

Nate and Lee spent the past two days at the hospital with Thompson whenever none of the rest of the crew were there. Alexa was there from the time school was out until visiting hours were over. By the end of Friday night there were so many embellishments on his cast that Alexa joked that it looked like a group of taggers thought it was a box car. He didn't say anything to the rest of the group, but Thompson woke up at one point while Mabel was visiting to find her drawing a mark near the edge of the cast that glowed and the disappeared. They were all happy to hear that Thompson was being released Saturday morning as he was healing remarkably well. 

Mabel, Grenda, Candy, and Pacifica had planned a sleep over at the Shack, even though they actually planned on staying in the Bunker. Ford stayed the night down in the room he chose so there would be an adult available if they needed one. Pacifica and Mabel still needed to figure out what bedrooms they were claiming as their own. Each girl brought supplies for the party. Mabel brought the drinks, a twelve pack of Pitt Cola and Tubby Tusk Root Beer each. Pacifica brought some pastries and a cherry pie from Greasy's. Candy brought ice cream and well, candy. And Grenda brought some chips and dip, she also brought her mother's latest Werewolf book. Needless to say they didn't get to sleep till early the next morning. 

As soon as Adam was off work the two friends began setting everything they were bringing with them to the living room so they would be ready to load into the two vehicles and head out the first thing in the morning. Adam went up to check the kid's rooms and wasn't surprised at all to find they had already been cleared out. He'll have to talk to Mabel about using her abilities responsibly. 

**Saturday December 1st, 2012  
Dipper's Room**

As the sunlight started to shine in through the window, Wendy pulled Mr Tusks closer to her body. She took a depth breath as she held the stuffed animal close. Taking in another breath she thinks about how she loves the subtle woody smell that laid under the smell of vanilla. 

'Wait a minute,' she thought as her eyes shot open, 'I don't keep anything that smells like vanilla in my room.'

Looking down instead of the purple hair of Mr Tusks, she sees the messy brown hair of her boyfriend. The next thing she notices is that they both are under his blankets. She gently lifts up the blankets to see they are both still in the clothes they had on last night. But the last she remembered he was seated at the foot of his bed, while she was laying on her stomach with her head on her arms. Looking at the TV she saw it, along with the DVD player, was turned off. Deciding to not over think it she just laid her head down and enjoyed holding him. 

**Bunker  
Mabel's room**

In the darkness that was only lit by a soft glowing nite lite. Mabel was stretched out on the bed with Pacifica laying across her as if Mabel had been stroking her hair when they fell asleep. Grenda was laying in her sleeping bag out in front of the desk covered in candy wrappers. And Candy was asleep in the arm chair with her legs over the back and her head hanging off of the seat cushion. Strewn around the room were six pillows pulled from the rooms of the other girls. 

Mabel woke up and seeing her hand in Pacifica's hair, she began to stroke it once again. She had counted thirty some strokes when her phone went off. Seeing it was just with in reach she grabbed it on the third ring. Hitting the button she said, “Hello, whadda want?”

She listened for a moment before she nearly jerked up, only being held down by Pacifica. Though that didn't affect her voice as she asked, “Slow down Francis. Say that again. It's done what?”

“What's gonna on Mabs?”, Pacifica asked rubbing her eyes after being awoken.

Candy jerked up at the sound and as her body realized her position, it fell backwards. Her legs jerked back towards her and she rolled out of the chair landing on her stomach on the ground. And through all of this Grenda slept on. 

“It's snowed over night, there's actual snow out side. SNOW!”, Mabel said as she tried to slide out from under Pacifica. 

“What's so special about some snow?”, the still groggy Pacifica asked. 

“I've lived my whole life in California, I've seen it snow there maybe three times in my life. The only other times would be if we visited my grandpa Sherman for Christmas, but he would come visit us most of the time.”, Mabel said with a childlike glee. Though there was a touch of melancholy in her voice though as she added, “At least until Dipper and I were eight.” 

“What happened then?”, Candy said as she was straightening herself out and stretching after how she slept the night before. She didn't see Pacifica motioning her to stop. 

“Grandpa Sherman died that March, aneurism.”, Mabel said almost stoically. Pacifica placed a hand on hers. 

After a couple of seconds though Mabel brightened back up, “Come on, let's go get dressed. We can call Wendy and have her bring over her brothers for a giant snowball fight.” 

“I heard fight,” Grenda said hopping up out of her sleeping bag. 

**Gravity Falls Memorial Hospital**

After eating a bland hospital breakfast Thompson was visited one last time by the floor doctor before he signed off on the discharge papers. His parents had brought him a change of clothes and his winter coat when they visited the previous night. He had been nearly dressed by the time his parents and Alexa arrived to pick him up.

“Alright, you ready to get out of here champ?”, Mr Thompson asked as he walked up and patted him on the back. 

“Well we need to wait on the nurse to bring in the wheelchair and someone will need to grab my crutches,” Thompson replied to his dad. 

“I got them already Joey,” Alexa said holding them up before she gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. 

“Alright Joesph, here is your wheels.”, the nurse said as she pushed the wheel chair into the room. 

Taking one of his crutches he hobbled over to the wheelchair and sat down. Looking at his parents he said, “Let's get going.”

The nurse begins pushing him to the elevator and helped them head to the exit. She waited with them while Mr Thompson got his SUV. Alexa helped Thompson get in first, then went around to the other side and got in herself. 

**Mystery Shack  
Dipper's room**

Dipper laid there next to Wendy and just enjoyed being held. He had awoken shortly after she had closed her eyes to go back to sleep. Like she had done, he checked to make sure they were clothed. Upon confirming that they were, he just thought how nice it felt that she was comfortable enough with him to lay like this. He had just relaxed enough that he had started to fall back asleep when both his bedroom door flew open and Wendy's phone went off. 

“Dipper, hey Dipper. Wake up...”, Francis had started saying before he saw them in bed together, “Whoa, my bad. I'll just be going.”

“What did you want Francis?”, Dipper asked a little red in the face.

“Well, I came up to tell you it snowed but I see you are busy.”, Francis said with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle that earned him two thrown pillows.

Meanwhile Wendy had grabbed her phone and saw it was Mabel calling so she answered it, “Hey Mabs, what's up?”

After throwing a pillow at Francis she continued, “I can see if they want to come over. No, your brother and Francis aren't at my house. I'm still at the Shack, movie night ran over and I crashed here.”

“Nothing like that happened Mabel, just movie night.”, Wendy blushed as she replied to the question on the other end of the line. 

“Then why are you two in bed together?”, Francis called out before he dodged a paperback that was thrown at him by Dipper. Feeling that discretion is the better part of valor, he decides to leave. As he does he calls out, “I'll see you two downstairs.”

“No. we just fell asleep watching movies Mabel,” Wendy said as she pulled Dipper back towards her, “Alright I'll call them in a bit. See ya when you guys get up here. Remember you do still have guests in the room out back so be careful coming out of the Bunker.”

After she hung up, Wendy looked at Dipper. She hugged him close and said, “Well now that movie night is over I'm in need of this.”

And she pulled him into a kiss. And Dipper was in no way inclined to disagree. 

**Later that day**

After convincing by both Wendy and Dipper that nothing other than movie night had happened, Wendy was finally able to ask the terror trio if they wanted to come over for a good old fashioned snowball fight. They decided that they were gonna show everybody you can't beat a Corduroy. Tony even convinced Tambry to come over for the fun. Nate and Lee declined saying they were gonna be checking in on Thompson since he was released today. Once everyone was there it was decided that Dipper and Mabel were going to be the captains of the two teams. Dipper's team included Wendy, Tony, Tambry, Lucas, and Seth. Mabel had Pacifica, Grenda, Candy, Francis, and Rudy.

It was a glorious battle that saw many valiant throws, dodges, and hits. More than once Francis threw himself in front of snowballs thrown by a Corduroy that were meant for Candy. Tony caught Grenda once by lobbing a snowball up in the air and then calling her name so she turned right into it as it came back down from the sky. Dipper fell victim a snowball from Mabel and found himself covered in the glitter she packed in the snow. Lucas and Seth kept trying to get their older brother, but he seemed to have found an ally in Grenda. At one point Mabel and Pacifica had seemed to disappear, only to be found kissing behind the totem pole. They both got pelted with snowballs by everybody then, but Mabel said it was worth it. There were even a few snowballs flying out from the treeline or from around a corner of the Shack that seemed indiscriminate about who they hit. After a couple of hours, with breaks here and there to step inside to take the chill off, everyone decided to head in for some coco and cookies. 

Later Soos took Wendy & her brothers home, so they could change into dry clothes. Tony, Francis, Grenda, Candy, and Tambry used Ford's entrance into the Bunker to go take warm showers and also get into dry clothes (Tambry had brought a set when she learned they were going to be having a snowball fight). This left Stan, Melody, Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica in the Shack 

Pacifica was getting ready to head back upstairs after getting a soda when she heard a knock on the door.

“Stan, Melody, there's someone at the door.”, she called.

“Go ahead and answer it sweetie,” Melody called from the kitchen.

“You practically live here anyways, so knock yer self out kiddo.”, Stan called from wherever he was. 

'Well that really helps,' Pacifica thought as she walked up to the door. When she opened it up there was a man in three piece suit and a winter coat carrying a briefcase. Feeling he was out of place she asked, “May I help you?”

“Yes, are you Miss Pacifica Northwest?”, the man asked. 

“Yes, and who are you?”, Pacifica responded ready to throw her soda in defense if needed. 

“Just one of your father's lawyers, you have been served.”, he said as he handed an envelope over to her. Before he turned and left he said, “Good day.” 

She shut the door and turned to see the twins standing in the doorway to the living room. She paused for a moment before opening the envelope.

“What is it Paz?”, Mabel asked after Pacifica had time to skim the document.

“It's from my dad,” Pacifica said before she looked up at her girlfriend and her twin, “I'm being emancipated.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 63 is now in the books. We start out with the Pines returning to the Shack after getting Tsunami to the hospital. Next is a brief synopsis of Thursday and Friday. Then we start Saturday with Wendy realizing she was in bed with Dipper after the previous movie night. The post slumber party finds the girls in Mabel's room in the Bunker. Thompson gets picked up from the Hospital. Francis walks in on Dipper and Wendy snuggling, while Mabel calls Wendy to schedule a snowball fight. After some discussion the snowball fight happens. And finally Pacifica received the paperwork for her emancipation. 
> 
> I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but I've changed my update schedule to read twice a week. Thanks to my migraine issues, I've had some troubles keeping to the old schedule. Also happy birthday to me. Yay! (Sarcasm intended) 
> 
> Still looking for possible names for Grenda, super strength is her major attribute. So far I've received Suplex, Brainbuster, Liger (again another wrestling reference), and Strike. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.  
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> ???/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).  
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 16-18-5-19-20-15-14 13-1-25 8-1-22-5 6-15-18-7-15-20-20-5-14 20-8-1-20 19-8-5 8-15-12-4-19 13-15-19-20 15-6 20-8-5 3-1-18-4-19.


	64. Chapter 64

** Chapter 64 **

“You're being what?”, Mabel asked before she walked over and hugged Pacifica. 

“I'm being emancipated,” Pacifica replied as she folded into the hug. She felt a slight tug on the paperwork and released it into Dipper's hand.

Mabel just held her and asked, “Is that even legal?”

“According to this paper work,” Dipper said as he looked over the paperwork he had taken from Pacifica, “it is in Gravity Falls. Though we may want to run it by Stan and Ford just to be certain.”

“Ok, Ford I can understand. But Stan?”, Pacifica asked looking over at Dipper.

“Stan knows more about the laws of Gravity Falls than he let's on,” Dipper said putting the paperwork back into it's envelope, “and not just how to get around them. Between the two of them we should be able to get a good idea of the legality of it.” 

“Well Stan was that way somewhere,” Pacifica said waving towards where she had heard his voice coming from earlier.

“And the last place I saw Ford was down in the Bunker last night,” Mabel said as she released the hug on Pacifica. She took a hold of her hand and they went off looking for the Grunkles.

**Twenty miles outside of Gravity Falls  
Handlebar Hideout Bar & Grill**

Gideon was seated in front of a TV in the apartment set above the kitchen of the biker bar. He was watching the TV to see if an Amber Alert had been issued over his disappearance, but so far one has not been issued. They had made it out of town last night, under the cover of darkness, to this bar in case Gideon's cousin and her friends were still looking for them. The owner of the bar was a former cellmate of Ghosteyes and upon hearing an edited version of the story, he gladly took them in. Gideon was just getting ready to Ghosteyes had just returned with two cheeseburgers and two orders of fries himself and Gideon. 

“I still can't believe my dear sweet cousin would do this to liddle ol' me,” Gideon said in between bites.

“Well no man knows what evil lurks in the heart of a woman,” Ghosteyes philosophized before he grabbed a couple of fries. 

“Well she is the one who started me on the path of my old life,” Gideon responded with a look of fond remembrance on his face, “When we lived down in Texas for a couple of years to help out my aunt, Colleen used to babysit me. She got me interested in preforming and taught me to use my natural charisma to my own advantages. She helped me develop my act, though it didn't get to be as popular until we returned home and that was in part due to finding my ol' bolo tie. I came to love to preform. The admiration and power I had over my audiences, it was addictive.”

With a wistful sigh Gideon resumed eating. Even after they were done, Gideon still looked to be in deep contemplation.

**Mystery Shack  
Stan's Office**

Stan was seated in his office reading Wednesday's paper. He had glanced over the front page since it looked like the new editor was into sensationalized news even more than Toby was. He had just got to the comics when there was a knock on the door.

“Come back later,” Stan called.

“We need to talk to you Grunkle Stan,” Mabel called through the door, “it's serious.” 

“Come back later,” Stan grumbled even though he had already got up to open the door.

“Come on old man, we need your help!”, Pacifica called out to him.

“Alright, alright. Hold yer horses,” Stan said as he started to open the door. 

“We need you to look at this,” Mabel said as Pacifica handed him the envelope.

He walked back to his desk while the girls sat down on the futon in his office. Lips moving as he read over the document, he rubbed the back of his neck. When he finally set it down he said, “Well the new rumor monger actually had it right.”

“What?”, the girls ask in unison.

Stan holds up the newspaper. 

“Yeah, we saw that at lunch Wednesday.”, Pacifica said.

“Did you read it though,” Stan asked.

“No,” Mabel replied with a slight blush, “We ended up being a little busy.” 

Stan cocked an eyebrow at that before he said, “Well from what I read, it said that your putrid parents planned on removing all of your possessions from your house and then disowning you. This actually is a step up.” 

“Well, uhm, they had already kicked me out before this paper came out. I came home from school Tuesday to find my room empty,” Pacifica started 

“Wait you mean that heartless piece of excrement actually did it?”, Stan practically yelled.

**Heading north on I-5**

After they had got up somewhat early, Wildbill and Adam first ate breakfast. Then they began loading up Wildbill's truck and Adam's SUV. Most of the clothing and such were loaded into the SUV, while the larger items were loaded into the bed of the truck and covered by a tarp after they were done. Once they were done, Wildbill pulled his classic 60's Station Wagon into the Pines' garage and then they headed out to make the long drive up to Gravity Falls. That had been nearly 5 hours ago.

Using the quick dial feature on his phone Wildbill called Adam. Upon hearing him answer Wildbill said, “Let's pull off at the next off-ramp. That way we can fuel both the tanks and our stomachs.”

“Sounds good Will, I can use some food.”, Adam's voice came back over the phone's speaker. 

“Alright, it looks like there's a Pancake Den at the next stop.”, Wildbill said reading the exit sign. 

“What is with you and that place?”, Adam's voice chuckled as it came out of the speaker.

 

“The food is good and the cost isn't that high,” Wildbill replied. Flipping on his turn signal he pulled off at the exit.

**Gravity Falls  
Corduroy House**

After she took a warm shower (she made sure she claimed it first) and getting into a set of dry clothes, Wendy prepared to head back over to the shack and see what else the gang wanted to do today. Just as she was about to head out the front door she felt a huge hand grab her shoulder. Turning around she saw her father standing there.

“And just where were you going young lady?” Manly Dan asked towering over his daughter.

“I was just heading back out to hang with Dipper and the guys,” Wendy replied looking up at her dad.

“Well I want to talk to you before you go,” he said as he motioned towards the sofa. 

Wendy walked over and sat down, “Ok, dad. What's up?”

“Well as you know we have three weeks until we start our yearly survival training on the twenty-second and we don't plan on getting back until the fifth of January,” Dan said as he went to sit down in the arm chair. 

“Dad do I need to remind you, we've already had Armageddon here?”, Wendy said trying to stay calm, “And do I need to remind you, who in this house was the only one to not only survive and be among those able to fight back.” 

“I know that's why this year I'm actually gonna give you the option. You can go through the training with us,” Dan said with a proud smile, “or you can stay here and celebrate Christmas with your friends and second family.”

“Wait, you mean it?” Wendy asked with genuine surprise in her voice.

With a loud chuckle, Dan slapped his knee and said, “Honey, you've again proven there's no one tougher than a Corduroy. I'm extremely proud of the fact you were able to survive all that.” 

“Thanks dad,” Wendy said with a smile, “but you know I didn't do it all on my own. Sure I kept Bodacious T alive and free for a few days, but then Dipper found me. Next thing I knew we had met up with Soos and went to rescue Mabel.” 

“I know honey. You've told me before,” Dan said taking her hand, “But it doesn't mean that I can't still be proud of my little girl.”

“Oh dad, thanks.”, Wendy sad squeezing his hand. 

Hearing someone coming down the stair, Dan stood up. Looking back down he said, “Well, I'm gonna go make the venison in ready for burgers, you gonna be home for dinner?”

“Make me one just in case,” she said as she watched him walk towards the kitchen, then she looked over at the stairs where she saw her eldest little brother Rudy was the one who came downstairs. Realizing that she didn't care if her knew what her plans were she continued, “but I'm supposed to be going to Greasy's with Dipper and maybe a movie afterwords depending on the weather.” 

“Alright, will do.”, Dan said as he pulled out the ground venison.

As Wendy got up to head out, Rudy walked over to her. It seemed weird, he didn't even have his hat on. Looking over at him, she saw that he appeared to be trying to ask her something. She decided to put him out of his misery and asked, “Whatcha want squirt?”

“Uhm, well.”, Rudy said as he started shuffling his feet and she thinks he may be looking at the floor, but with the way he wears his hair she could never tell. Wringing his hat he continued, “you see sis. I was wondering, uhm well...”

“Com'on man, I've got people to see.”, she said as she ruffled his hair.

“Ok, jees. I guess I just wanted to know what you knew about that girl that was helping me during the snowball fight?” Rudy asked nervously.

“Well I know she's one of Mabel's friend, her name is Grenda, and she goes to school with the twins.”, Wendy said as she chuckled inwardly. She always wondered when one of the twerps was gonna discover girls, she actually was surprised none of them wound up as one of Mabel's targets over the summer. Getting back on track she continued, “I'll ask around for you if you want.”

“Yeah, no, that's ok, don't worry about.”, Rudy said with cheeks almost as red as his hair, “I mean guess that'd be ok. Thanks sis.”

Rudy leaned in and gave her a hug before turning around and heading back up to his room. Wendy chuckled again and started to head towards the door, only to stop to make sure no one else was going to bother her before she left. 

**Bunker**

Dipper had just walked into the Main Hall, he just had to figure out where exactly in this humongous place he'd find Grunkle Ford. Thinking of the layout plans he had worked out with Fiddleford and Grunkle Ford, he tried to remember if any of them had remembered to put in an intercom system in the plans. Looking over the at the right hand wall he saw a wall mounted touch screen computer. While trying to figure it out, he thought of the old Celestial Journey TV. So he just asked, “Computer, what is Ford's current location?”

“Coming up behind you,” Ford said as he came out of the hallway Dipper had travel just a couple of minutes ago. 

Dipper nearly jumped out of his skin on that one. He turned around and looked at his great uncle. Composing himself he said, “We've got a problem upstairs.”

“What is it? Do I need to get anything from the armory?” Ford asked as his mind went into a planning mode. 

“Nope, just your intellectual weaponry. I'll explain once we get upstairs,” Dipper said as he started back towards the tunnel leading to the Shack.

“Hey Dip. Grandpa. Where you guys going?”, Tony called from the other entrance to the main hall.

Dipper turned around to see Tony, Tambry, Francis, Candy, & Grenda coming out from the area that had be designated the living quarters. Dipper looked at them and said, “We're heading back to the Shack to encounter the latest challenge our family have had thrown at us.” 

“Wait for us then,” Francis said as the group headed their way. 

**Portable Motel Room**

Gillian and James were sitting in what was essentially an efficiency apartment, with him feeling somewhat claustrophobic due to the situation. 

“What's wrong, James?”, Gillian called from the desk where she was reading out of one of her grimoires.

“I'm bored,” he replied as he sat shuffling a deck of Monstermon cards with the shadow cast by his body. 

“Read one of your mag-na or something,” Gillian suggested, “or throw some more snowballs at the kids outside.”

“It's manga. Anyways I've already read the ones I brought with us,” James said as he dealt himself a practice hand out of his deck. Two light and a spectral vigor cards, that and his Poultrigeist card made for a good start. “As for the snowballs, for one they're no longer out there and it quit being fun when no one figured out that there were extra snowball flying around. Why can't we just go into town or even Portland for a bit? You haven't even tried to find out if Stan's grand-niece is the girl we're looking for or not.”

“I've really not had the chance to check him yet,” Gillian said busying herself in her grimoire. 

“Bull hockey, you had the chance when he was helping you out back at the old shop.” James called back as he continued to play a one sided game. “You're still sweet on the old guy, aren't ya?” 

“Know what, let's go into town to stock up some in case this weather turns bad.”, Gillian said as she closed her grimoire and stood up.

“Alright, let's go.”, James said rushing to the door. 

**Mystery Shack  
Gift Shop**

The vending machine slowly opened and the first load of people came out of the old elevator. While it went back down to pick up the rest, Dipper started calling out, “Family meeting, family meeting!”

He had just finished calling when he heard the bell over the doorway chime. Turning he saw Wendy walk in and come over to him. He gave her a hug as she got close. 

“Dude, I heard the call for a family meeting through the door. Taking lessons from Ford on the call?”, She asked as looking at the gathered group. Mabel, Pacifica, and Stan came out of his office and Stan looked pissed off. Meanwhile Melody and Soos came out of the kitchen. Finally the elevator let Francis, Candy, and Grenda out.

“So what is the matter at hand, Dipper?”, Ford asked.

“It's not mine to share,” Dipper said before turning to Pacifica, “you're up, Paz.”

With Mabel's arm around her shoulder Pacifica started speaking, “I don't know how much you guys may have read of the cover story from Wednesday's Gossiper, but it's apparently true. When I got home from school Tuesday it was almost like I didn't even exist...”

And with that start Pacifica told those gather the whole story. 

**Thompson Residence**

Once they had Thompson home his mother and father ran out to grab some groceries. Alexa was helping Thompson around his room, they ended up watching a movie once she made sure he was comfortable. In-spite of his protests that he could do it himself and that since she was the guest in his house he should be making sure she was doing good. She smiled at him all the while telling him to sit back and let her pamper him for once.

**Mystery Shack**

“I'm to meet with his lawyers next Thursday to discus the emancipation. And that's what is apparently going on,” Pacifica said as she finished her exposition. She was trying to be strong, but there were a couple of tears that escaped. By now Mabel had wrapped her arms around waist and Pacifica had one of hers around Mabel's shoulder. 

“That's messed up man. I mean I knew you your dad was a jerk who was willing to sell out the human race, but to turn on his own kid.”, Wendy said looking almost as upset as Stan and Tony who were being held in check by their respective twin. 

“Is this even legal?”, Grenda asked after she had moved to place herself between Stan, Tony, and the door. 

“It was a law Former Mayor Befufftlefumpter enacted during the sixties,” Candy responded, “As long as the child is able to earn enough to be able to provide for themselves for a month, then they can be emancipated as young as ten years old.” 

**Alexa's House**

Gregor was seated in the kitchen area of the house talking with someone in the shadows.

“Don't worry, I wasn't able to do the whole house but I was able to wards this room from her prying eye.”, Gregor said over a cup of Irish coffee.

“Well what do you want with me?”, the voice from the shadows asked.

“I'm ready to take you up on your offer,” Gregor replied, “and so is my Union.” 

“Good, but how do I know this isn't a set-up as they say?” the voice questioned. 

“You'll have to trust me the same way I'm trusting you. As far as I know this could be a test of my loyalty,” Gregor countered, “Also I haven't told her about these conversations in nearly five hundred years, what makes you think I'd turn on you now?”

“Alright, but what about the others?”, came the voice.

“Noch' is too much of a boot licker, she'll never betray her. As for Polden'...”, Gregor said before he was interrupted. 

“As for me, I've just be waiting to be invited.”, Polden' said as he walked into the kitchen eating an apple, “I'm getting tired of being told I can't kill whoever I want.” 

“Excellent tovarishch*,”, the voice said, “here's what we need to do. First Rassvet you need to call your daughter and tell her that 'Operation Cogona' is now a go.”

“What?”, Gregor aka Rassvet questioned, “My daughter?”

“Oh, yes. Well through one shell company or another I've been funding the research she is involved with for more than a century.” the voice explained, “Now come on, I'm a king without a kingdom. It's time to remedy that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 64 is in the books. We open with Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica discussing Pacifica's emancipation. Next we come across Gideon and Ghosteyes after they have taken refuge with another of Ghosteyes friends. Mabel & Pacifica show Stan the emancipation paperwork and asks for his opinion. Then we ride along with Wildbill as he and Adam make up a two man convoy on there way to Gravity Falls. Wendy and her dad have a talk about the upcoming Christmas followed by her brother coming across as a nervous nelly when he asks her about Grenda. Dipper heads down to the Bunker to find Ford and ends up gathering the rest of the guys in the process. Gillian and James make an appearance. Dipper calls a 'Family Meeting' so that Pacifica can explain what's going on. A little Alexa & Thompson fluff. We return to the discussion about the legality of Pacifica's emancipation, when Candy displayed some of her localized trivia knowledge. And when end with two of the Knights discussing their new plans with their new patron.
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> ???/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 13-15-14-19-20-5-18-13-15-14, 14-5-5-4 20-15 6-9-7-8-20 20-8-5-13 1-12-12!


	65. Chapter 65

** Chapter 65 **

**Heading north on I-5**

After he had listened to the last weather report, Wildbill dialed Adam.

“Whatcha want this time Will?”, Adam asked jokingly.

“Didn't know if you were listening to the radio, we'll be driving straight into a severe snow storm once we get closer to Gravity Falls.”, Wildbill replied, “I hope you can remember how to drive in the snow, California Boy.”

“I'm a Hoosier born and bred, of course I do.”, Adam called back through the speaker. 

“Good, cause I don't want those kids to be come orphans.”, Wildbill said, “With that weather alert we may want to stop and refill the tanks in case we get stuck somewhere.”

“Let's wait till we cross into Oregon if we can,” Adam said as he agreed with the idea.

“Sounds good to me”, Wildbill replied, “Call back if you need anything.” 

“Alright,” Adam said before he hung up. 

**Mystery Shack**

After everyone had processed the full information (and calmed Stan and Tony down) the group broke up into different segments and they went off to do what they feel they can to help. Tambry grabbed Tony and dragged him down to the Bunker to help her on the net and to check out what equipment has been installed in her new Temple. Francis and Candy followed Ford down to his lab to go over some of his reference papers about the town and it's various laws. 

Dipper started to go with them when he was stopped by the trio of Pacifica, Mabel, and Grenda. Looking at them he asked, “Ok, what's going on girls?”

“Yeah, what's up guys?”, Wendy asked looking over at the girls.

“Dip, Wends, we discussed this last night at the sleepover. You two have been together longer than any of us other than Grenda and Marius,” Mable said looking between Dipper and Wendy, “But other than your Movie Nights and what time you spend together here, you two haven't went out on a date yet. We know you had one planned for today and we're not gonna let you cancel it just cause Preston is being a poopyhead.”

“But don't you guys need our help?”, Dipper questioned. 

“Brain wise right now we have Tambry, Tony, Francis, Candy, and Ford working on this. We can do with out you for one night dweeb,” Pacifica said as she playfully gave him a shove towards Wendy. With a wink she continued, “besides your sister won't let me take her on a date until you two have had one.”

“Come on, Dip. Even I know when we're beaten,” Wendy said with a chuckle. She pulled Pacifica and Mabel into a hug before she added, “You two know how to reach us if you need us.” 

“Of course sis,” Mabel said without thinking.

“Well, let's get going.”, Wendy said pulling dipper away before he could comment on what Mabel said. 

**Gleeful residence**

Gather around the living room, the three ladies are seated the living room. The TV was on but only Charlene seemed to be paying any attention to it. 

“Blair, I still can't believe you haven't put out an Amber Alert on the shrimp yet?”, Jennifer said as she played with a stack of video game cartridges. 

“Well what am I supposed to say when they ask where my aunt and uncle are at?”, Blair said getting up and starting to pace, “They asked me to come visit and the next day after I arrive they're gone. I wake up to find a note that my uncle was taking my aunt to a sanatorium in Arizona and that they needed me to watch my 'liddle' cousin, who always adored me. But he had changed, he was no longer my little pal who helped me fleece anyone we could. Someone in this town had changed him.”

“Interesting, so you're saying that he was Oliver to your Fagin?”, Charlene asked as she flipped through the channels.

“I guess you could use that analogy,” Blair replied as she continued to pace, “But someone or something about this damnable town changed him. I went to talk to him about how his 'Tent of Telepathy' graft was going and he said he gave it up over the summer after he went to prison. Then he said something about a revelation that helped him go straight.”

“I've heard a couple of kids at school start talking about something that went down at the end of summer and when I went to ask about it they'd flinch and say 'Never Mind All That' or something.”, Jennifer commented while she looked up from her games. 

“There's something weird about this town.”, Blair said as she stopped just to the left of Charlene, “Something that could change my 'liddle' cousin. The only good thing that came out of coming here was seeing that page that Gideon said came out of a journal some local historian had compiled. It spoke of some secret being guarded by the local morticians. Gideon had said he looked for it, but he believed that it was the current morticians parents who guarded the treasure and didn't tell their son. That's why I initially went after Robbie, to get an in with the family.”

“Well at least the search wasn't a total bust,” Jennifer said with a wink earning her a raspberry. 

“Yeah, now you've gone all ga-ga googly eyed over him.”, Charlene chuckled while watching Cash Wheel. 

“How in the world did you even get your degree?”, Blair said as she plopped back down on the sofa. 

“Hey, where is lover boy today?”, Jennifer asked as if she had just realized Robbie wasn't there.

“He said something about having to go to Portland this weekend,” Blair said dismissively. 

**Bunker  
Delphi's Temple**

As they walked into the pentagonal room, Tony noticed that Tambry had decked out the her lair. In the center of the room was a holographic projection table that looked like a giant tablet, a wall of video monitors that seemed to have nearly the entire town covered, two banks of servers on another wall, and a computer set up that would cause a pc gamer to drool. There were two chairs in front of it, but only one keyboard. 

“Welcome to my new second home!”, Tambry said as she walked around looking over her new setup, “There are still a few things I'm looking to acquire like a total immersion helmet set up and to add to the server banks.”

After a long whistle Tony said, “Really, you already have more processing power than some gaming design companies. And you definitely have more than anyone here in Gravity Falls.” 

“Well, I really can't physically help you guys out in the field so I wanna be able to help you in any way I can from here.” Tambry said as she looked at Tony, “I don't want anything to happen to you if… I mean you guys if I can do something to prevent it.”

“Come here,” Tony said as he pulled her into a hug, “If one of us get's hurt out there, it'll be the fault of whoever hurt us not you.”

“I know, I just worry about all of you guys.”, Tambry said returning the hug.

“I know,” Tony said before he released the hug, “Alright enough of this mushy stuff, let's see what we can do to help Paz.”

“Ok, let's fire these baby's up.”, Tambry said as she sat down in front of the keyboard.

**Road to Portland**

Robbie's van was moving against the snowfall, he was hoping he made it there before it got worse. He was driving out to meet some people to help with an upcoming move. Plus he need to see and old friend. He just wished he hadn't stopped at that biker bar and grill for a burger. 

**Twenty miles outside of Gravity Falls  
Handlebar Hideout Bar & Grill**

With nothing else to do but to sit and wait, Gideon and Ghosteyes was watching a repeat episode of Cash Wheel. 

“I still can't believe that Stan Pines was able to get on this here show,” Gideon said watching Stan spin the wheel, “but then again he's such a shyster I guess it's really not a big surprise.”

“Well he does seem to know how to win on this game,” Ghosteyes said somewhat engrossed in the show. 

“Just watch, he blows it...”, Gideon started to say before he was interrupted by a knock on the door that leads to the back parking lot.

“Stay out of sight, I'll get it.”, Ghosteyes said as Gideon went to hide behind the sofa. 

Once he was hidden Ghosteyes cracked open the door, looking out he saw and older woman shivering in the snow. He asked, “May I help you?”

“Yes, I was wondering if there would be any way that I could possibly come in to get out of the cold. I tried done at the bar, but was told I would have to buy something in order to be able to stay and I really only have money to pay for the gas I need for my trip.”, the old lady said through the cracked door. 

Looking over at Gideon, who had risen up from behind the sofa upon hearing the both the voice and the story. He suddenly moved around the sofa and was at the door. He pulled the door open and said, “Why madam, we would be remiss in our duties as gentleman to let lady freeze out in this weather.”

“Thank you young man,” the old lady said as she stepped into the apartment. 

“You're welcome ma'am, I wish we could offer you more than a warm room and company but we're also running low on funds.”, Gideon siad as he led her over to the armchair in the room, “Let me take your coat and shawl.”

She removed her coat and head wrap and handed them to Gideon, who in turn handed them off to Ghosteyes. Once she was seated Gideon continued, “Now we haven't introduced our selves, My big friend here is known as Ghosteyes...”

“Mark,” Ghosteyes said as he offered her his hand, “Mark Ricker ma'am, but like he said most people call me Ghosteyes.”

“Yes,” Gideon said as he continued as he offered her his hand, “And I'm...”

“You're Little Gideon, Child Psychic.”, she said as she shook his hand. She looked him over and said, “I saw your show back in June while I was on my way to Wyoming to see my grandchildren.” 

While they were speaking Ghosteyes, went into the little kitchenette and got her a red cup of water. She nodded a thank you as he handed it over to her. Once he was done he went ahead and sat back down on the sofa and sat looking between their guest and the TV. 

“Yes, well.”, he said as he shuffled his feet, “I'm just plain ol' Gideon Gleeful now, I gave up the stage a lil bit ago.” 

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Your show was highly entertaining.”, she said before she took a sip of her water, “I do hope you didn't quit due to any health issues.”

Walking back over the sofa Gideon sat down and reached over for his tea that was left over from his lunch and finished it. After he swallowed and composed himself he continued, “Oh, no. I just decided I wanted to try to live like a normal kid for awhile.”

“Oh that sounds like a good reason,” she said with a with a thoughtful look. Shaking her head she said, “And where are my manners, you two have introduced yourselves and I'm sitting here like a marshmallow on a s'more. My name is Lisa Vassa. Say isn't that the gentleman who owns the Mystery Shack?”

**Gravity Falls  
Poseidon’s Catch**

Tucked into one of the gray walls with the tridents on each side is an alcove where Gideon took Mabel on their regretful first date. Dipper chose it as a way to build good memories in his new home. They were seated at a table along the wall of the fancy seafood restaurant. 

Looking down at the menu Wendy asks, “Are you sure about this man? The prices here are a little steep.”

“Yeah, it'll be no problem. Grunkle Ford found that Stan hadn't paid me and Mabel all summer so he calculated our back pay and started each of us an account at the bank,” Dipper said looking up from his menu, “He also chose one of his patents for each of us and signed over the profits in order make sure we would at least be able to cover any expenses we would have at college.” 

“Whoa, nice.”, Wendy said looking back at the menu.

Just then the waiter walked up to the table, “Good evening Madam and Monsieur, my name is Jean-Luc and I'll be your waiter tonight. If you're not ready, I'll take your drink order.”

“Well I know that I'm ready. How about you?”, Dipper asked looking over at Wendy.

“Yeah, I'm ready.”, Wendy said before turning to Jean-Luc, “I'll have the Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon with Fingerling Potatoes and Candied Carrots and iced tea to drink.”

“Good, good. And for you sir?”, Jean-Luc asked turning towards Dipper. 

“I'll have the Miso-Glazed Black Cod with a Baked Potato and Candied Carrots. I'll also have an ice tea to drink,” Dipper said before collecting the menus and handing them over to Jean-Luc. 

“Very good, I'll have your drinks out to you shortly.”, Jean-Luc said before he left the table. 

**Tons grocery store**

Walking through the store Gillian and James were loading up on supplies before the coming snow storm hit. They were pretty much filling the cart, there was already two twenty-four packs of water, cans of tuna, cans of Chef Jolene Ravioli and Beefy Macaroni, a twenty-four pack of soda some lunch meat, 2 loaves of bread, and such. He also grabbed a couple of board games and a couple of DVDs to get them through if it does become a blizzard. 

“Have you noticed the young gentleman in suede coat?”, Gillian whispered to James, “He's been following us since we came in the store.”

Stopping to look at a can of beans and seemingly reading the nutrient list, James glanced back at the guy at the end. He was a tall Hispanic teen with shoulder length black hair pulled into a tail. As James put the can of beans into the cart he whispered back, “Well we've got a full set of supplies, let's check out and see if we can lose him in the streets.”

“Sounds good to me. Here's the keys, go get ready to toss everything in the trunk.”, Gillian said handing the over the car keys. 

“Got it,” James said zipping up his coat before heading out. 

He made it out to the car and opening the back door he pulled out his backpack and after he pulled out his knife, he put it into the passenger seat. He also pulled out the window scrapper and brushed off the trunk and the windows.

**Back inside the store**

Gillian continued through the store as she grabbed a gallon of milk she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around she saw it was the Hispanic Teenager.

“Miss Morrighan, my mother's Mistress sends you this message.” he said looking her in the eyes, “First out of respect we for another magic user she sends a warning, she feels that thanks to your earlier encounter Rassvet has ignored her orders and may still seek to attack you no matter with whom you associate. Secondly you are too close to her plans and she doesn't want your influence to corrupt her work. You are to leave the area and to not interfere or she will do nothing to hold Rassvet back.”

“Your mother must be Noch',” Gillian said as she pulled away from him, “Well it has been nearly twenty years since I was around your mother. Pass on this, We'll be leaving once the weather has passed. I'll not leave when there is a chance of danger in my travels. If this doesn't please anyone, I'm sorry.”

“Alright, your message will be delivered.” he said as he started to leave her, “And Miss Morrighan, I do hope we don't have to meet again. It will not go good for you or your charge.”

As she turned to see where he went, she saw he had disappeared. She checked out and calmly walked out to the car. She waited till they were in the car to talk to James.

“I was warned that we need to leave as the man in white from the clearing is the one after me and that his former boss will not be able keep him from attacking us if we stay around too long.”, Gillian said as she started pulling away from the store, “I told them we will leave after the weather clears, but we'll see. If they're after the Tome of the Sovereign and Unicursal Shooting Star, we may have to stay and help defend it. I would not want it falling into the hands of the Hag.”

“From what I've seen, I don't think I'll have a problem helping them but they may have one with me helping.”, James said as he fiddled with his knife. 

“We'll deal with that when we come to it,” Gillian said as she thought, 'They would be more than likely to work with you than me. You don't have the blood on your hands that I do.'

They drive the rest of the way back to the Shack in silence. 

**Mystery Shack  
Twins room**

Pacifica was seated in front of Mabel, who was braiding her hair, while Grenda was seated behind Mabel as she braided her hair. 

“Alright Pacifica. After the initial shock of all this, you've seemed to calm down a lot. What's up with that?”, Grenda asked as she pulled a hair band off of her wrist to place on the first braid.

“Well right now, I'm going over what I believe my dad will do in my head. And well with what everyone else is doing I guess I feel like we have all the bases covered,” Pacifica said as she worked on went flipping through the music on her phone, “Plus we need some of us thinking about the bigger issue at hand, we still have a Russian goddess messing with us for some reason.”

**Twenty miles outside of Gravity Falls  
Handlebar Hideout Bar & Grill**

Ghosteyes had just excused himself to go down and grab some food for the three of them, while Gideon continued to entertain their guest.

“My dear, would you please so kind as to get me another glass of water,” Lisa asked Gideon, lifting up her empty cup.

“Why, yes ma'am. It'll be my pleasure.”, he replied as he got up and took her cup. Walking into the kitchenette he pulled out a chair and upon standing on it he filled her cup.

“Hey, folks. I'm back,” Ghosteyes called as he came back into the apartment carrying three Styrofoam meal containers. Looking around he asked, “Where'd Lisa go?”

Gideon quickly turned and nearly fell off of the chair as he saw that she was gone. Rushing over to the armchair he found a manilla envelope with his name on it and a duffel bag with Ghosteyes real name stitched into the side. Ghosteyes opened the up the bag and saw another envelope sitting on top of a length of chain. Reaching in he grabbed the note and opened it. It read: 

_Mark Ricker aka Ghosteyes,_  
You have taken into your charge a special boy. One day soon he will be called to make a choice as to whether he wished to take his place among a group of immortals charged with caring for the world or not. He will need you by his side as he prepares for this decision and afterwords, until then I grant you this token to be used in his defense. It is a length of chain used to bind the son of Loki, the wolf Fenrir. You will know how to use it when the time comes. As long as you carry it, you will be protected from those who wish to use him for their own gain.  
Your new friend  
Lisa 

Meanwhile Gideon had opened his envelope. As he pulled out the letter inside two rings and a familiar looking bolo tie slid out. Opening up his letter he read:

_Little Gideon Gleeful_  
Your life so far has been leading up to an important choice you will soon make. I have entrusted your protector with length of chain used to bind Fenrir that was granted to me at a council of Pantheons. With it he will be able to protect you from most threats until you are practiced enough with your enclosed presents. The medallion is the sibling to the one you used to own, so you know how to use it's abilities. The ring with the amber jewel is called Alharfi Alhajar, or Stone Crafter, was created by a djinn in order to give it's former own the power over the ground below. It's powers you will need to learn on your own. As for the ring with the emerald jewel is named Furacán, or Tornado, and was presented to me by a grandchild of Balor the king of the Fomori. With these items you will be able to prepare yourself for your coming decision.   
Your new friend  
Lisa 

 

“Well now this is an interesting lil wrinkle for us to work with, what do you say Ghosteyes?”, Gideon said as he slid a ring on the middle finger of each hand. Once that was done he slid the bolo tie around the collar of the polo shirt he was wearing. 

Ghosteyes wrapped the chain around his waist like a belt and said, “We'll have to have to see boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 65 is in the books. Wildbill let's Adam know they were going to be heading into a coming bout of bad weather. As the gang splits up to work on helping Pacifica, Wendy and Dipper get told that the two of them are to go on their previously planned date. We gain a little bit of the backstory between Blair and her cousin Gideon. Tambry show's off Delphi's Temple to Tony (Ok that sounded bad ;-) ). Robbie's heading to Portland. Gideon and Ghosteyes welcome a visitor to their hide away at the bar and grill. Wendy and Dipper are on a date were we learn a little about some future finances of Dipper and Mabel. Gillian and James realize they are being followed while at the grocery store. While James is outside preparing the car to run, Gillian is confronted by their stalker who delivers a warning from the Mistress. Pacifica, Mabel, & Grenda take some time to wind down. Ghosteyes & Gideon's guest disappears but not before leaving them each a gift.
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> ???/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 12-1-19-20 14-9-7-8-20 2-5-6-15-18-5 20-8-5 6-9-18-19-20 20-5-19-20.


	66. Chapter 66

** Chapter 66 **

**Gravity Falls  
Outside of Poseidon’s Catch**

Dipper was holding the door for Wendy as they left the restaurant. She had no sooner gotten through the door before she reached over and ruffled his hair before he put on his hat. He took her hand and they headed towards the woods at the back of the parking lot. 

“Ok, the food there was better than Mabel let on but who she went with may have affected her judgment.”, Dipper said as they walked.

“Remember the lobster she brought to the Shack after that. What ever happened to it?”, Wendy asked offhandedly.

“Well,” Dipper said rubbing the back of his neck, “Stan saw that she had no real attachment to it and while she was on another one of those 'dates' Stan made seafood stew for dinner. I didn't find out till afterwords and as far as Mabel knows Stan it released it into the lake.”

“Sounds like Stan,” Wendy said shaking her head, “Oh guess what.”

“Durland and Blubs are adopting Geoff?”, Dipper joked as they walked into the woods. 

With a chuckle Wendy punched his arm and said, “No, dork. Dad gave me a reprieve for apocalypse training this year, since well I was the only family member to actually survive one.” 

“Wait, that means you'll be here for Christmas!”, Dipper said as he realized what all that meant. 

“Yep, so you better be ready for a cheesy Christmas movie marathons, candy canes, home made fudge,” Wendy smiled as she thought about stuff she had missed since her mother passed away. They still did the training but she had always made sure they had the one day to celebrate.

“Someone to spend the holiday with,” Dipper added pulling her into a hug as they walked. 

Once they were far enough into the woods to not be seen Wendy reached for the ax hosted in her forearm. Once it was out and she had transformed, she asked, “Well, what's next on your plan Dip?”

“Are you up to seeing if the theater is open, with this weather I'm not too sure it will be though. It's really coming down,” Dipper said as he watched the snow melt as it fell towards her. 

_“We could try, I wouldn't mind sitting in a dark theater with you snuggled close to me.”,_ Wendy said with a smirk as she watched him get even redder than the cold air had made him. 

Shrinking down to the size of a Military Mac figure, Dipper jumped into her hand and then she ghosted away. 

**Road heading into Gravity Falls**

The weather had been getting worse as Wildbill and Adam traveled closer to the town they soon will call home. Both vehicles were almost crawling to get into the underpass that lead into town.

Concentrating solely on driving on the slick road, Wildbill nearly jumped out of his clothes when his phone went off. He hit the button to answer it and asked, “Whatcha want Adam?”

“Just got done talking to Stan, we're still going to the Shack but there is someone else in the room we were using.”, Adam's voice came through the speakers.

“Well, shoot. Where are we gonna go then?”, Wildbill asked since he couldn't remember if Adam knew about the living arrangements in the Bunker.

“He said you already had a room elsewhere, and I can get one right near there.”, Adam replied. 

“Okay, good.”, Wildbill said, “I'm gonna get back to concentrating on this road. We'll talk more once we get to the Shack. Shouldn't be more than a half hour to forty-five minutes at this pace.” 

**Nate's house**

The outside of the house was blanketed in enough snow the it looked like something out of a snowglobe. Looking out from the living rooms window Lee was feeling a calming peace flow over him. 

“You ok man,” Nate called from the kitchen.

“Yeah, just watching the first snowfall of the season.”, Lee called back, “Hey didn't you have a date tonight?”

“We talked earlier and with this weather neither of us wanted to try and walk any,” Nate said offhandedly, “Speaking of which, when are you gonna introduce us to your freshman girlfriend?”

“Eh, it didn't work out. She said I was spending to much time with my friends,” Lee said as he shrugged it off. 

“Shoot man, why didn't you say something.” Nate said as he was bringing in a bowl full of nachos and cheese and sat in down on the end table between the sofa and recliner. 

“What would I say 'Hey guys, I know we're worried about Alexa's Uncle, Thompson's attack, and this ancient Russian goddess but my girlfriend of less than a month has broken up with me.'. You know that's not my style,” Lee said as he walked over and sat down on the sofa, “So what are we gonna watch?”

“Well in honor of what's been going on I figured we'd watch Copper-Man II,” Nate said as he turned on the TV and DVD player. He then plopped down in his recliner. Reaching over he grabbed a nacho and hit play on the remote. 

**The Royal Ragtime Theater**

Wendy and Dipper appeared on the roof on the theater behind the roof edging. Seeing there was no one in the alley, Wendy floated down and landed. While she powered down, Dipper jumped off of her shoulder and shifted to regular size as he went. Once they were back to normal the couple walked out of the alleyway and around to the front of the theater.

“And as I was getting ready to walk out the door, Rudy walked up to me to ask about Grenda. This is the first time he's shown any interest in a girl that I didn't have the heart to tell him she's already dating someone, so I told him I'd find out some stuff for him.”, Wendy said as they came near the ticket booth. 

“Aw man, they're closed.” Dipper said as he read the note that said 'Closed Due To The Weather, Management'. 

“Well that sucks, what do we want to do now?”, Wendy said as she looked around. It didn't seem as if any of the storefronts in sight were open. 

“We could always try a movie down in the Bunker,” Dipper replied as he too saw nothing open with in sight. Shaking his head he guessed it was bound to be that way as there was snow almost to his waist, “Plus it'll get us out of this snow.”

They headed back towards the alley when Dipper heard the beep of his earbud. Tapping it he said, “Whatcha got?”

Wendy looked over at him and saw his hand and realized what happened. With a smirk she said, “Tell them I don't really want anything to interrupt this date.”

Dipper stood there for a moment nodding his head before he said, “Ok, thanks.”

“So what's up?”, Wendy asked once he tapped his earbud off.

“Well apparently Tambry has either tapped into all the surveillance cameras in the town or she's set up her own,” he quietly said as he leaned into her as they walked, “Tony said that according to the cameras we were clear if you wanted to change so we could get home quicker.” 

“So they're watching us?”, Wendy said with a smirk.

“Yep,” Dipper replied before he was turned as she pulled him into a big kiss.

**Mystery Shack  
Ford's Laboratory**

Ford was seated at his desk pouring through a book while absentmindedly eating jelly beans out of a gallon tub. Candy was seated against a wall with another book along with a sheet of paper that she was shredding to make book marks. Francis is laying next to her with his legs stretched out towards the ceiling along the wall, he was taking notes with a zero gravity pen. 

“Well this seems to be going no where?”, Ford said as he placed the book on top of another law book, “How are you two coming?”

“Well so far I've found out several laws we could use to arrest most of the town?”, Francis said as he sat up and looked at his notes, “Like it's illegal to serve a blueberry pie on a Wednesday. We could do a whole book of the stupidest laws in America based just in Gravity Falls. I mean it's legal to marry a woodpecker here.” 

“Everything I have read is similar, it looks like all I was able to find was more trivia.”, Candy sad as she closed her book also, “But Mabel should be happy, I just found out it is legal for a pig to marry a goat here.”

**Delphi's Temple**

The tic-tac sound of fingers hitting keys filled the air as Tambry was busy crawling through the net. One of her screens held the icons for Tab, Asta, and Jette. Their word balloons covered the screen as they were busy helping within their own specialties. Tony floated around the room pausing at times near the security monitors around town, he had even called Tambry in time to catch Wendy as she practically inhaled Dipper's face and then dipper face planting in the snow right after. Tony also spent some time at the holographic projection table, partially checking the weather forecasts and looking over satellite pictures of the region. He was keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary that could possibly be related to the knights or their Mistress.

'That twas certainly a most bold move that Lady Gwendolyn didst take' Tab's word balloon said. He was still somewhat in shock over the kiss that he had witnessed.

'Oh, get over it Tabs. The girl knew what she wanted and she took it. I didn't see him complaining.' Asta's balloon replied to Tab. Her icon had a big smirk all over it's face.

“Alright guys, let's not get distracted.”, Tambry said as she typed 

“Yeah, ya little gremlins. We still need to figure out a few things.”, Tony called in a playful tone over to the screen. 

'You ain't just whistling Dixie, daddy-o.' Jette's word balloon answered. A second one popped up saying, 'So far all the preparations you put in place is the cat's meow, chickadee.' 

“Well I hoped it would, I put a bit of my soul into them.”, Tambry said as she took a swig out of a self sealing water bottle. 

Tony walked over and started massaging her shoulders as she continued to work. 

**Mystery Shack**

Soos was in the kitchen as he helped Melody finish up the dinner she cooked. They pretty much plated the meals and then wrapped them in plastic wrap. The plate had mashed potatoes, vinegar spinach, and a pork tenderloin. Stan walked into the kitchen in his peacoat and after taking three of the plates and some silverware, he headed on out of the back door. He headed towards the Portable Motel Room. Trudging through the snow he till he got to the path that had been cleared earlier, he made his way to the door. After he shifted the plates to one hand he knocked.

“Who is it?”, Gillian called from inside the room. 

“Stan, hurry up it's flippin cold out here.”, he replied.

The door quickly opened to reveal James standing there, “Come on in.”

“Thanks,” Stan said as he walked into the room. Gillian was seated in the rooms armchair, he walked over to her. Holding out the plates and silverware he said, “I figured you two would like a hot meal and some company in this cold weather.” 

“Why thank you Stan,” Gillian said as she took the offered plate. Peeling back the plastic she 

“Yeah, thanks old man.”, James added as he took his offered plate. He walked over to his mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of ketchup and a can Tubby Tusk Root Beer. He then went and sat back down on the bed to eat. 

“James,” Gillian chided.

“That's ok Gill,” Stan said with a chuckle. He walked over to the rooms desk and sat down. Pulling off the plastic he began to eat some himself. 

“So how does it feel to have your brother back, Stan?”, Gillian asked in between bites.

“Well it was a little rough at first, but by the end of summer we had worked out most of our frustrations.”, Stan said as he looked over at his former love, “Though I have to admit there were times I felt like I had given up way too much to get him back.” 

They continued to talk like this till they were done eating. Feeling like a third wheel James said, “Tell you what, I'll take the plates in for you two. It'll give you a chance to talk more and me a change of scenery.”

“Oh, sure.” Gillian said offhandedly.

James grabbed the plates and after tossing on his coat, he headed out of the door. He followed the path Stan had trail-blazed in bring the food. Getting to the door he lightly kicked it twice in lieu of knocking. The door was opened by the big fellow he had met here twice before. Was it Moose, Truce, Deuce, no, none of those.

“Hurry up lil dude, it's colder than Greasy's freezer out there.”, Soos motioned him to come on in, “I'm Soos, in case you've forgotten.” 

Once he was inside he saw there was a woman about the age of Soos and three girls about his age. 

“Well may as well start the introductions,” Soos said as he pointed first to the woman and then the brunette, the blonde, and finally the muscular girl, “this is my fiancee Melody, Stan's great niece Mabel, her girlfriend Pacifica, and their friend Grenda. Everyone this is Stan's at one time grandson, James.” 

“Hey there,” James said as he worked out what Soos had said. Walking over to the girls he looked at Pacifica and asked, “So by girlfriend did he mean, a female friend or…?”

“He meant that she's my girlfriend,” Mabel said before he could finish his question. 

He was getting ready to apologize when they heard the bell over the gift shop entrance ring and a voice call out, “We're here!”

Another voice called, “Hey Mabel I need some help out here.”

“Come on girls, let's see what Unka Cowboy wants.”, Mabel said as she got up and headed out of the dining area. 

“Sure thing,” Grenda said as she followed Pacifica and Mabel. 

“So that's a nice Chlorine shirt you've got on, Soos has the first four seasons on DVD,” Melody said trying to make small talk. 

**Gift Shop**

As the girls made it into the gift shop, Mabel ran over and hugged her dad glad to have him back in one piece. Turning to Wildbill she asked, “You called Unka Cowboy?” 

“We need to get your dad's stuff down to his room near mine,” Wildbill said as he headed back out. Mabel and the girls grabbed their coats and followed him out. 

As she went out Mabel slipped in her earbud. She tapped it and asked, “Hey Delphi, needing to magic. Is the area clear?”

They had pulled the tarp covering the truck bed halfway back when she again spoke, “Alright thanks.”

Adam asked, “Do you guys need my help?”

“Yeah dad. Grab a box or two and stand with Pacifica,” Mabel said as she pulled a box out herself. After everyone had a box or two (or three in Wildbill's case and four in Grenda's) she intoned, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and the five of them were enveloped in a warm glow. 

**Bunker**

And the reappeared inside a hallway with a door on either side and one more at the end. Adam looked around and tried to figure out where they were.

“Well the room at the end is mine but the ones on either side of the hall here are,” Wildbill had started saying before looking at the girls for confirmation. Seeing them nod he continued, “empty. We'll put your bedroom stuff in which ever one and for now use the other as storage till you get your new house built.”

Adam decided to take the one on his right. Opening up the door he saw it was set up somewhat similar to the Portable Motel Room. He was about to ask about it when Mabel said, “These rooms were made as a permanent version of the room you were using. We've all got one down here, except Soos and Melody. They have one of their own. Testosteraur even has one. He's essentially the Bunker's caretaker.” 

After two more trips they had all of the boxes and then one more for the large items. Most of the furniture is till down in Piedmont. 

“Well now that that's done do you want to give us a tour?”, Wildbill asked. 

“We need to see if our guest was still in the Shack or back out with his Grandmother. Soos could probably only hold his attention so long,” Mabel said, “Once he's gone I'll be glad to show you around, though I'm still learning the layout myself.” 

She took them all back up to the upstairs of the Shack to be safe. She didn't know if James was still around. With a yawn she commented, “Tell you what dad, I'll give you a tour of the Bunker tomorrow. I'm ready to drop. Grunkle Ford can show you how to get back down to the bunker.”

Adam took a peek into the twins room and asked, “Where's your brother?” 

“He and Wendy went out earlier on a date,” Mabel said nonchalantly. “If he's still following his plan they should be just getting out of the movies.”

“He went on a date in this weather?”, he asked as he started down the staircase. The girls stayed up as they were planning on going to bed soon. Once he was all of the way down he locked the doors on the SUV. 

From the top of the stairs Mabel replied without a thought, “Well to be honest, it was no where near this bad when he went out. Besides he's with Wendy, she could survive this weather in a tank top and shorts and come out smiling.” 

“Still in this weather it'd be best if they got back here,” Adam said pulling out his phone 

“Remember Adam, this is Dipper we're talking about,” Wildbill said before he continued in a mock hushed tone, “he's the responsible one.”

“I Heard That!”, Mabel called from the stairwell. 

Calling Dipper, Adam waited till he heard his son answer. Then he said, “Hey son, we're here. Where are you? Really we were just down there, I took a room near your godfather.” 

Walking towards the kitchen they saw Ford, Francis, and Mabel's friend Candy sitting down to eat. Soos, Melody, or this guest was no where to be seen. 

“Well your sister seems to have confiscated your room for the night since we're pretty much snowed in, you may as well stay in you room below for the night. Just make sure nothing happens,” Adam said and he smirked as he heard Dipper sputter out denials.

After he hung up Adam turned to Ford and said, “I've been told you're the one to ask about how I get back down to my room.”

“Certainly. Follow me,” Ford said as he led Adam and Wildbill towards the vending machine. 

After the elevator ride to the bottom, he walked over to a section of the wall. After pressing on a panel a tunnel opened up and he beckoned them to follow. He lead them down a metallic corridor for what seemed like a quarter of a mile or so before it finally merged with another tunnel, they followed the merged hall and went past two halls that turned away from the path they were walking. Finally they entered a larger room with an oval table in the center of it. 

Now that they were in the main hall, Wildbill took the lead. Turning to Ford he said, “Thanks. I've got it from here if you want to head back and finish your dinner.”

“You're welcome,” Ford said before he walked over to a panel on the wall. Pressing a button he said, “Tony, it's about time for the two of you to come eat.”

“Alright Grandpa, we'll be up in a couple of minutes.”, Tony replied over the intercom. 

“Good evening gentlemen,” Ford said as he headed back down the hall they had came from. 

Heading out the hallway at the other end of the Main Hall, they passed Tony and Tambry coming out of one to doors that lined the hall, with a simple nod to acknowledge their presence both groups continued on their way. After a couple of turns they finally got back to the hall that held their bedrooms. After saying good night they went their separate ways.

**School Gymnasium**

The music was a near constant thrum of a bass, mixed with someone shredding on a guitar, and another person pounding out a rhythm on the drums. There was a crowd of people all mindlessly dancing, while she was standing there all alone. Suddenly the crowd slowly parted while Tony walked towards her in a punked out tux. A couple of girls tried to stop him in order to get a dance, but he was focused on getting to her. As he neared her, Robbie stepped out from the crowd and tried to force her to leave the party (she had just realized that's what this was) with him. Tony stopped him by placing a hand on Robbie's shoulder. Robbie turned quickly and tried to punch Tony, but he sidestepped the punch and threw one of his own. It caught Robbie under the jaw and knocked him cold. Taking her by the hand, Tony led her to the dance floor where they slow danced to Jimmy Cracked Corn.

“I wonder why they're playing this at a punk ball?”, She asked to no one in particular. She really was to busy enjoying being in Tony's arm to really complain, heck she'd probably stayed with him dancing like this if they played Amazing Grace. 

“It's because it's time for you to get up, something has triggered your alarm.” Tony said as he prepared to dip her. 

“Huh,” she asked not wanting to believe what Tony was telling her.

“It's time for you to wake up,” Tony said again looking sad, “you have to get to your temple, the people need your wisdom.” 

“I don't want to leave,” she said as she realized they were no longer at the dance. The were on top of the bridge that hang above the entrance into town. Looking around she saw that there were several people she didn't recognize milling about before there was an explosion. The bridge began to collapse out from under them, “TONY!!!” 

“You need to wake up,” Tony repeated as they both continued to fall.

“No. I don't want to leave you to fall on your own,” she cried with tears in her eyes.

“Once you wake up I'll no longer be falling, I'll be safe. So you need to wake up, your friends and the town needs you.”, Tony said as he was still falling, “YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!!!”

**Sunday December 2nd, 2012 9:15 AM  
Bunker  
Tambry's room**

Tambry shot straight up and tumbled out of her bed trying to reach the alarm clock in order to throw it across the room. Once she realized it was the alarm on her phone she refrained from throwing it. She went to hit the cancel button before she saw her screen was flashing and Tab was square in the center. Once he saw she had noticed him he stopped the music and flashing light.

'Mi'lady, evil is afoot. The old mining bridge over the entrance to town was demolished, falling debris has been strewn all over the entrance. Your cameras watching the entrance way into town have registered twelve beings congregating just outside the valley. We have identified three of them; Polden' Solntse, Colleen 'Hot Shot II' Raleigh, and Dr Nuit.' Tab's word balloon read.

She stood up and ran to the rooms intercom and pressed the mission alarm. Hitting the intercom button she said, “Rise and shine everyone, We have a confirmed sighting of the three Knights and their underlings. They just blew up the old mining bridge to block the town in.”

“Gotcha, Wendy just left to grab the rest of the gang. We'll meet in the Main Hall.”, Dipper replied over the intercom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 66 is in the books. We open with the continuation of Dipper and Wendy's date and she tells him about Christmas. Wildbill and Adam are almost to the Shack when Adam finds out there is someone else in the Portable Motel. Nat & Lee discuss life. Dipper and Wendy's date continues despite the fact the theater is closed. Ford, Francis, and Candy have been pouring through Ford's collection of laws, by-laws, regulation, city ordinances. Meanwhile Tambry and Tony have been scouring the internet trying to find a way to help Pacifica. Stan took some hot food out to the Portable Motel Room for Gillian and James. After eating James volunteered to bring the dishes to the house where he is introduced to Mabel, Pacific, and Grenda. Wildbill and Adam arrive next and the three girls and Wildbill take Adam down to the Bunker and show him his new room. After the girls decide to retire for the night, Wildbill and Adam ask Ford to get them into the Bunker without Mabel. While at a party dancing with Tony, Tambry is suddenly awoken to find out that the knights are attempting to close Gravity Falls off from the outside world. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> ???/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 15-14-5 23-9-12-12 6-1-12-12, 15-14-5 23-9-12-12 18-9-19-5, 1-14-4 15-14-5 23-9-12-12 10-15-9-14 15-21-18 8-5-18-15-5-19.


	67. Chapter 67

** Chapter 67 **

**Bunker  
Main Hall**

Tambry was the first one to arrive she turned on the wall monitor that had been installed and using her tablet she began bringing up the video and other pertinent data. As the others begin to arrive, she realized she was highly under dressed in her light purple tank and dark purple with clouds sleep pants. But then again she wasn't going out into the field. 

“Aright Tambry, whatcha got?”, Dipper said as he rushed into the room, he was followed closely by Wildbill, his dad, and Testosteraur. 

A familiar glow appeared and out stepped Grenda, Pacifica, Candy, Francis, & Tony but no Mabel. Other than Pacifica & Candy they were already in their uniforms. Grenda's consisted of a pair of baggy dark brown pants, a tan body armored top with a black B on the left breast, black gloves, black boots, and she was carrying a brown Lucha styled mask. 

Wendy appeared next, standing beside Dipper. She had her Crossbow and quiver with her as well. As the others started to take a seat the glow returned and the group was joined by Mabel, Nate, and Lee. Nate was also in a costume. It was a full body uniform, dark green in color with light green gloves and boots. Imprinted across the body were what appeared to be bubbles in the same light green. He was also carrying a mask in the light green coloring. Mabel was joking with him about it being a rush job design wise. Lee was dressed as Lee. 

Wildbill had on a red cavalry bib western shirt with the bib only partially buttoned, a red stretch bandanna around his neck, a black trench, a black cowboy hat, brown cowboy boots, and black gloves. He also seemed to have a sword sheath on his belt.

“Alright, now that everyone's here. At approximately nine this morning someone destroyed bridge that was over the entrance into town. The debris was blocking the road into town. Since then the same group responsible has begun to do whatever they can to block the passage into town,” Tambry said as she show footage her cameras had caught of the destruction, “Now what's their purpose for doing this, I have no idea.”

Bringing up the close up image of the group Tambry continued, “There seems to be plenty of people we know here already, The White Knight, Polden', Dr Nuit, Hot Shot II, Reaper, & Bugz. But there are also several we haven't seen before, I'm guessing they're the underlings of the other Knights, ala Polden's Squires. From what I've been able to observe the lady in white is able to use some type of ice attack and the big shirtless guy is extremely strong. The guy that looks like a musketeer seems to be a swordsman of some type. No idea on the others though.” 

“Well, suggest we try to figure out ahead of time who we may try and tackle.”, Dipper said as he shifted to his Shifter form. 

“I'll take Polden',” Wildbill said as he fastened up the rest of the buttons on his shirt, “It's not like he'll fight any of you if I'm around. What with us being 'eternal enemies' and what not.”

“I'll take the big, ugly, greyish green guy,” Grenda said slipping on her mask. In a voice that's still loud but seemingly smoother she added, “While we're out there call me Brainbuster.” 

“I will take the dark one,” Testosteraur said earning him shocked looks from the group, “They out number you, I will be honored to fight by your side.”

“Ok, I'll try to tackle the hot and cold girls. They shouldn't be able to get through the armor,” Pacifica said as she pushed her keyfob calling forth the CHARGER armor. 

“I got sword boy,” Tony said looking over at Tambry, “Don't worry, he won't touch me.”

“Dr Nuit Is Mine!”, Mabel finally spoke up.

“I'm not sure that's a good idea Mabs,” Pacifica said as she walked over to her girlfriend.

“Paz dear, I love you but you're not going to be able to stop me.”, Mabel said as she took hand and kissed it. Turning to Dipper she added, “And don't you try to stop me either.”

“Only if you try to cross the line sis,” Dipper said reluctantly. 

“You know what,” Mabel said as Pacifica headed over to her armor, “Enough planning, right now let's just go kick their tails.” 

“One question,” Nate said as he motioned down to his outfit, “We're about to go have a giant fight, in the middle of a near blizzard, and only three of us has a coat. What's to keep us from freezing?”

“Czings Xszin!”, Mabel intoned before a feeling of warmth flowed over the team, “That's a warmth charm, it should cover us for the duration of this battle.”

“Ok, that works.”, Nate said as he slipped on his mask. 

“Well then let's go,” Mabel said as she saw Pacifica close up her armor. Motioning to the Heroes she called out, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” 

And with the golden glow they are gone.

“Alright guys, we can't stand here twiddling our thumbs.” Tambry said as she turned to the ones left behind, “Candy, take Lee and go make sure the med lab is ready just in case.”

“All right,” Candy said as she led Lee out the entrance heading back towards the Shack but turning at the first tunnel they come to and taking the long trip to the Bunker's medical center. 

“Now Mr. Pines, if I remember correctly you're a computer programmer. Right?”, Tambry asked. When he nodded his head she said, “Alright follow me,”

Tambry lead him to the door to her Temple. Before she entered she said, “Once we're in here I'll need you to call me Delphi in-case someone somehow breaks into our transmissions.” 

“Gotcha,” Adam replied as he watched her open the door into a computer geeks dream. 

“Alright I'm gonna be running things from the computer set up,” Delphi said as she brought the system out of hibernation, “I'm gonna want you watching the video feed and keeping track of possible outside interference on the holographic projection table.”

“Nice set up,” Adam said as he began working at the table. Looking up at the screen he saw the team appear and ready to face off with the villains. 

“Yep,” Delphi said before speaking to the screen, “Tab. Asta. Jette. I need you three here.”

'Been waiting, mi'lady.' Tab's balloon said. 

'I'm here. Whoa, who's the hunk of meat behind you?' Asta's balloon read.

'All's quiet on the western front, doll face.' Jette's balloon commented

“Well, let's get to work.”, Delphi said as she started running programs to gather data on the teams foes as they fought. 

**Battlefront**

As the glow reveals the Heroes, they notice that their opponents are already fighting two others. Well they are fighting one while the other seems to be trying to prevent more damage from being done to the town's entrance by erecting a magical force field. Both Will O' and Shifter recognize the one doing the fighting. It was the guy that had attacked Will O' up on the cliff above the lake. 

“YOU!”, Shifter yelled. The guy turned for just a split second before returning to his fight. He started charging at him, but he felt a gentle hand stop him.

_“Shifter, right now he's fighting to help stop these guys. You can tear him a new on later,”_ Will O' said as she looked at him, _“And don't forget that prophesy, this may be what it's talking about.”_

Knowing she was right, that saving the town from whatever these guys were planning was more important than a grudge. He called out to the others, “Choose your opponent and move out!” 

While this was happening the rest of the team had already headed on towards the enemy. Charger was the first to connect as she barreled into the two elementalists. She was soon followed by the twin bellows of Testosteraur and Brainbuster as they charged their chosen opponents, and they saw the surprise on the face of the mountainous man that the manotaur was not the one coming for him. Polden' hadn't waited on Desperado to come to him and rushed to him. Flux had grabbed his iron ore sample as he ran into the fray, he was heading towards a girl in gray with her head hidden by a hood. Freerunner was running towards the swordsman. Vaccine saw everyone had paired off and went towards the only other guy in green. Shifter ran over and tackled one of the men fighting the guy who had attacked Will O'. And Will O' went after Bugz.

As soon as Hot Shot and the ice wielding girl, Winter if she remembered right, had been tackled, Keeper turned her focus on Rassvet. Just prior to dropping her shield she chanted, “Malleus malitia!”

A mallet sized war-hammer appeared in her hand. She dropped her shield and rushed towards him. He parried her first swing with a flick of the wrist wielding his sword.

“You're getting sloppy in your old age,” Rassvet said as he swiped at her and drew blood from her left cheek.

“And you're getting arrogant in yours,” Keeper said as she motioned with her free hand as she spoke, “Comprime motus!”

All of the sudden Rassvet felt as if there was a blanket wrapped around him that restricted him. Looking up he saw the mallet being brought up in an arc towards his unprotected jaw. 

Not far away

Vaccine noticed the guy he was pairing off with was seemingly dressed in a snakeskin bodysuit. He also seemed to not be as alert as the rest of his group. He seemed to only notice Vaccine when he got within arms reach.

“Who dressed you, a kindergartner?”, his opponent asked.

“Hey, at least I don't look like a knock off Gnuki purse.”, Vaccine called back.

“Do we really need to do this, it's way to cold to be fighting.”, The snakeskin wearing guy asked. 

Meanwhile

Polden' Solntse charged at Desperado, pulling out his war-club as he ran. As he drew closer he felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Looking down he saw a throwing dart sticking out of his leg at the bottom corner of his kneecap, going through the tendons. As he was looking at it his leg went limp below him. As he rolled over to pull out the dart, Desperado ran over and after grabbing the war-club which he threw across the battlefield. 

“Why, Wilhelm I'm impressed. You have started to fight strategically,” Polden' said as he pulled the dart out of his knee. 

“Well thanks to you, I've had centuries to learn.”, Desperado said as he delivered a steel tipped cowboy boot to Polden's gut. 

To the far left of the battlezone

Glamur slowly walked towards the lady who she had last seen on a video.

“Yrmw Gsv Hszwld!”, Glamur intoned. Dr. Nuit was seemingly held in the place, unable to move her feet. 

“Why isn't it one of the Pines twins, Mabel isn't it?”, she asked as she tried to move.

“Xzoo Uligs Ortsgmrmt!”, Glamur called. Out of the cloudy, snowy sky a bolt of lightning fell and struck the ground less than a foot away from where Dr. Nuit stood. 

“Well it seems you are a little bit upset, why don't I change into something a little more comfortable and then we can talk.”, Dr Nuit said before her skin became blacker than the midnight sky and her hair flowed down her back in an elegant braid. Once the transformation was complete she said, “Now there, you don't have to worry about Dr. Nuit anymore. She's gone and will never be heard from again, you can call me Noch'.”

"Nrhgb Nrhhrov!”, Glamur intoned and a ball of icy water flew from her hand and hit Noch' on her right foot coating it in ice. 

“Now you should know while I have killed in the past,” Noch' said while she held her right hand behind her back. In that hand she seemed to be gathering some dark energy, “I'm not the one not the one who killed your mother.”

“LIAR!”, Glamur said as she lifted up her right hand and aimed as she intoned, “Yormwrmt Ziildh!”

Four arrows of light flew from Glamur's hand, three of which ripped the left shoulder ans sleeve of the lab coat Noch' wore. The fourth hit about an inch into her shoulder.

“I'm not lying, I did knock her out but I delivered her to one of my brethren.”, Noch said as she felt the ball of darkness grow, “He is the one who killed her and the Dr.” 

“You didn't have to take her!”, Glamur called "Prggvm Urhgh!”

A pair of glow pink kitty cat heads flew towards Noch'. One hitting her left shoulder, while the other one missed due to the jerking motion caused by the first head. Noch' flung the ball of darkness at Glamur.

“Nbhgrx Hsrvow!”, Glamur called. A beautiful turquoise shield appeared in front of her saving her from the darkness.

Elsewhere

Charger had Hot Shot in one hand using her to block a blast of ice from the lady in white. This prevented Hot Shot from getting her temperature from being too hot. As she was preparing to fire off a blast at her when a series of black tendrils began wrapping themselves around her white uniform and jerked her across the field of combat. 

_“Well, it looks like it's just you and me.”,_ Charger said to the woman almost frozen to her armor's hand. 

Turning her attention fully to the new Hot Shot, she realized the lady had already freed herself from the ice and using the moisture from the falling snow she wriggled herself free from Charger's grip. 

“Come on Big Girl, let's dance!”, Hot Shot called as she rushed back towards Charger. As Charger attempted to grab her again, Hot Shot sprung up over her arms. As she got close she wrapped her legs around the armor's head. She shifted her weight and momentum, plus an added push from her flight powers to preform a hurricanrana. Charger was flipped flat on her back. 

Across the battlefield Yami had Winter held against a tree wrapped in shadows. 

'You know, twice now you've tried to encase me in a block of ice. I really should do the world a favor and rid it of you,” Yami said as he came closer to the villainess, “But really I'd rather not give you a reason to stay around.”

“You know something kid, you talk too much.”, Winter said as a blast of white light flew from her eyes and a ring of ice surrounded Yami's neck, growing tighter the longer time went. He slowly was losing conscious. He released her in order to have the shadows pull the ice away from his throat. 

Elsewhere

Shifter had just dodged another blast of water from the guy who had introduced himself as Deluge. Shifting into the Summerween Trickster, he used the extra arms to scoop up snow and began to throw it as fast as he could. When one of the snow clumps hits deluge in the face, Shifter rushes forward shifting back to his combat form and pulled out one of his collapsible batons. Reaching Deluge, Shifter threw a punch into his stomach only to feel like he was punching a water balloon. A stream of water blasted out of Deluge's chest, shooting Shifter off of his feet. 

In the meantime 

Having been trading blows since Brainbuster closed the gap between the two, the mountain of a man attempted to grab her arm. She drew back her arm leaving her open to a back hand. As she landed she heard him say, “I was worried little one, that you would not be that much of a challenge for Harbinger, grandchild of Balor the king of the Fomori. But you have proven you are as much, if not a better challenge than the neutered manotuar would have been.” 

Grabbing a rock from under the snow she landed on. As she lobbed it up in the air she yelled, “Catch.”

As he watched the rock coming towards him, she charged him and threw her shoulder into his left leg knocking it out from under him. The rock landed just to the left of his head as Brainbuster slid up and put his right arm into a hammerlock. 

In the air

Will O' followed Bugz as he tried to dodge her, occasionally spitting out globs of acid at her. She in turn flung a ball of ghost fire at him. Finally one of the balls hit a wing and he fell towards the ground with Will O' in pursuit.

Nearby 

Testosteraur and Reaper were each swinging and blocking each other, blades versus gauntlets. Testosteraur attempted clap his hands over Reapers ears only to be blocked by him, he then slid his gauntleted arms down the blades and then gripped Reapers wrists. Lifting him up, Testosteraur reared back his head and threw his head forward in a massive headbutt. No sooner had his head hit Reapers hood, then it passed through it as if it was a void. Reaper fell from his grip and Testosteraur fell to the ground unconscious. 

Finally

Before Flux or Freerunner could get to their respective opponents, something went wrong. Flux tripped over something, causing him to veer into Freerunner's path. Thinking fast Freerunner did a leapfrog over his brother but in doing so it changed both of their trajectories. Flux was now heading to the swordsman while Freerunner was now heading towards the hooded girl who retreated away from him. 

Coming towards Flux, the swordsman sheaths his rapier. He removed his hand from the hilt and the grabbed it again, only for the hilt to have changed to include front and side guard. And as he pulled out the blade it was no longer a rapier, it was now a saber. Raising the blade up into a salute he said, “Well it appears our paths are to meet today, I do wish to know the name of whom I am to battle.” 

“The name's Flux,” Flux replied, “and yours?”

“Well if we must go with pseudonyms, I'm called Cavalier.”, he said as he brought the sword on point, “And now On guard.” 

“Alright bring it,” Flux said bringing his arms up. 

Swinging the saber in a short arc that nearly caught Flux in the chest, Cavalier reversed the arc of the blade and brought it down wards and caught Flux across the upper thigh causing sparks as metal met metal. Flux in turn caught him with a glancing punch on the off shoulder, knocking him back a step. He then heard a thud below him, sparing a quick look Flux saw his sample belt on the ground.

Freerunner caught up with the shorter girl in the gray hoodie, she had her back against a tree. Getting close he said, “I bet you may not know this, but these guys you're working with are some bad people, you're still young. We don't have to do this, I'm sure we can find a way for you to try to redeem yourself.”

As he got closer he heard a loud crack come from above him and he barely made it out of the way as a tree branch thicker than his neck fell down to where he had just been standing. He looked up and she was moving again. In the treeline the snow had not fallen as heavy so he was able to keep up with her and after a particularly good leap he landed in front of her. No sooner had he landed then he slid on a patch of slush and landed on his derriere. Springing back to his feet he saw her running again. Not trying anything special this time, he just sprinted after her and caught a hold of her hood. Pulling it off he stood there shocked.

“What's wrong loverboy, see something you like?”, Tambry asked as she stood looking at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 67 is in the books. Tambry briefed the team on the reason they were called. After the team was briefed, they decided to try and pair off before they even got to the field. As the team teleports out, Tambry takes the lead over the people who stayed behind. Appearing at the battlefield, the team finds Gillian and James were already there in their other identities, fighting the Knights and their underlings. Then we get into the battle and watch as the GH join the fight. 
> 
> This chapter was the start of the fight which will be split over the next two chapters, dealing with six pairings per chapter. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Brainbuster/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-5 2-1-20-20-12-5 9-19 10-15-9-14-5-4 1-14-4 2-12-15-15-4 23-9-12-12 2-5 19-16-9-12-12-5-4.


	68. Chapter 68

** Chapter 68 **

**Bunker  
Delphi's Temple**

Frantically watching over the battlefield, Delphi and Adam were trying to keep track of what all is going on.

“Glamur, Testosteraur is down. He may need you to revive him. Not sure what happened exactly,” Delphi called out helpful observations as she tapped a different button as she went allowing her to send the message to a specific team member, “Flux, the video feed is registering a weird aura emanating from that sword. Be careful.”

From over at the holographic projection table Adam was watching the feed from a different video camera. Like Delphi he was tapping different call signs on the screen and calling out warnings, “Dip… I mean Shifter, Reaper appears to be heading your way watch out. Brainbuster. From what I've been able to ascertain, the Fomori were a group of Celtic gods or demons, it gets sketchy. But that means if your guy's telling the truth he's at least a demi-god, be careful. Will O' be careful, it almost seems as if he's going in a controlled fall. He maybe trying to lull you into a false sense of security.”

“Lee, I hope we have a big enough table. It looks like Testosteraur may be coming in sore,” Delphi said into the intercom.

“Oh, boy. I'll see what I can do man,” Lee's voice came back from the intercom speaker.

**Battlefield**

Shifter was soaked as he rose from the ground, yet despite the seeming blizzard that surrounded him he was no colder than if he had just gotten out of the pool during his stint as the assistant life guard. In fact the snow didn't even seem to touch him. 

“I don't know how much you know about the local wildlife,” Shifter said as he began to grow larger and his skin turned green, “but I'll give you one lesson for free. On thing you never want to do is to get a Gremgoblin wet.”

As the transformation completed, Shift rushed towards Deluge. Not sure if the villain had any notion of what a Gremgoblin even was, he just roared as he charged. As he got closer he saw that Deluge was doing his best to keep from looking him in the eyes. It was at this point he heard his father's voice over his earbud warning him about the oncoming Reaper. As he swiped at Deluge, he felt Reaper coming closer.

Meanwhile 

A second lunge forced Flux even further away from his belt, so it looks like he's stuck in the iron body he started out with for the time being. He just hopes that Delphi was wrong about there being something more about the sword than it's ability to change. He should have grabbed some type of weaponry before heading out, but he thought his altered form would be weapon enough. He decided to talk to Candy about making him some type of weapon or defensive item

After another step back and another dodge, he found himself backed against a tree. Slipping around the back of the tree, looking up he saw a branch within reach so he grabbed it. As he broke it off he said, “Sorry Will O', I need the help.”

The based of the branch was about the width of his wrist. Gripping it he spun around when he heard the sound of the snow behind him being crushed down. He brought the branch up in time to deflect the sword away from him. Surprisingly the branch held it's own. 

Elsewhere

Will O' followed Bugz down but slowed her descent and kept a weary eye on him. Seeing that she was no longer speeding after him, Bugz landed in a tree and began hopping from branch to branch trying to lose Will O'. As he landed on the next tree in his path the branch wrapped around him.

_“You're fighting a nature spirit, so you try to hide in nature?”,_ Will O' said as she floated in front of him. 

“And you zould know better zhan to ztop in front of me,” Bugz said before he spit out a gob of acid. It flew straight at her and then flew straight through her. 

_“Nah, I just wanted you to think you could touch me with that.”,_ she said as she glided closer to him. 

Nearby

While she held Harbinger's arm in a hammerlock, Brainbuster reached up and slapped the back of his head. As he started to get mad, she let him break free from the hold and slid down his back as he pushed himself up. As she hit the ground she wrapped her arms around his legs and adding her strength to his momentum, she lifted him upwards and fell backwards slamming the back of his head and shoulders hard into the ground. 

“Wham, you've been served.”, Brainbuster called as she rolled to her feet. 

“That was good little one,” Harbinger said as he was rubbing his neck as he got up, “now let's really have fun.”

He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her up face to face.

Finally

The dark blast her shield had taken was powerful enough to push Glamur back nearly ten feet into a snow bank. The sudden dousing by a pile of snow broke her concentration on the spell that bound Noch's feet to her shadow. A quick blast of darkness freed her right foot from it's casing of ice. 

“You are harboring a hatred that does not suit you young one,” She calls over to Glamur as she slips off the medical lab coat she had been wearing, “I've told you that I did not kill your mother yet you still try to attack me with a lack of control. You attack out of anger, this is not the way the Regnant of Glorious Way to behave.”

Noch' had begun preparing another large ball of darkness to hurl at Glamur as she watched her younger opponent pull herself out of the snow pile.

“...rxv,” Glamur finished saying as she came out of the snow. A frozen sword of ice was forming in her left hand. She was about to attack when she suddenly reached up and tapped her right ear, “Bad timing Delphi. Alright I'll see what I can do in a moment, I'm a little busy.” 

She had no sooner tapped the earbud off, then she charged towards Noch' preparing the take a big swing at her. She had no formal training with the weapon. But luckily somewhere in the ten thousand years of knowledge that was gifted onto her there was some training, so she won't look like a complete idiot in this battle. 

Nach' flung the gathered darkness at her causing Glamur to intone, “Wrhp Lu Vmvtb!”

A disk made of lightning sprung forth, radiating from Glamur's forearm. This shield met the oncoming darkness and deflected it towards another snow bank. 

**Mystery Shack**

Soos was busy working on a skillet of bacon while Melody was cooking up pancakes on a griddle set on the counter. Though they hadn't seen anyone yet, they figured everyone would be hungry and with the snow still falling there would be no going out to Greasy's. They already had one platter full on the table and was about to start calling people when Stan came into the kitchen. 

“Make sure to make some extra, I invited Gilly and her grandson to come in for breakfast.”, Stan said with a bounce in his step that Soos had never seen before.

“Why Mister Pines, you are positively glowing.”, Melody commented as she took another plate of pancakes over to the table. 

“What? I have no idea what you're talking about,” Stan said as he slid his coat on and headed out the back door. 

“Melody dood, could you go call everyone to breakfast.”, Soos said as he pulled some more bacon out of the skillet. 

Kissing Soos on the cheek Melody started towards the Clondike twins room and knocked on the door calling, “Francis, Tony, breakfast! Tony, Francis?”

When she didn't here any movement she cracked open the door and looked in to find their beds empty. Thinking that maybe Tony had just went down to see Tambry and Francis could be up visiting Candy she headed up to tell the girls that breakfast is ready.

Getting up to the top of the stairs she called out, “Breakfast!”

When she again didn't get an answer she knocked on the door and then opened it. Again no one was there. She rushed back down stairs and arrived in the kitchen just as Stan was coming back in. at the same time they both called out, “They're gone!”

**Battlefield**

Will O' had the tree lower the branch that was wrapped around Bugz as close to the ground as it was able. She then willed roots from a nearby evergreen to reach up and wrap around him. 

Brandishing her ax she landed in front to him and said, _“We've already done this dance before, so do you want to just surrender? Or I could easily petrify you again.”_

“Zuck a lemon,” Bugz said as he spat on the ground in front of her. As the roots bind him he begins to flex and rub his claws against them behind his back. 

Will O' knew what she was going to have to do. Gripping her ax, she prepared to find a joint or connective area that she could pry open enough to petrify him again. She had just decided to go for the chest again when he lunged forward and grabbed her ax. Wrenching it from her hand, Bugz throws it as far away as he can. 

“Zo, what are you going to do now that I have taken away the zource of your powerz?”, Bugz cockily said as he prepared to to attack.

As he jumped at her Will O' grabbed two of his arms and fell/floated backwards with her knees rammed into his stomach. Pulling him as she went he flipped over onto his back and she floated through the roll so that on she was on top of him. Once she was on top she raised her fists up together and brought them down in the middle of his chest, cracking his carapace. She pull her power forward and petrified him once again. 

Calling for her ax as she looked down at him she asked, _“Why does everybody seem to think my power comes from my ax?”_

Meanwhile

Flux held the branch as if it was a quarterstaff and used it to block and parry blows from Cavalier's blade. The swordsman seemed to be flustered over the fact that the simple branch was able to counter his sword. Flux took a second to look at the place the blade had hit last and saw that the sword did not seem to be doing any damage to the wood. 

Hoping to throw Cavalier off a little bit, Flux began to quote a movie during the fight. As he dodged he said with a smile you could almost see through his mask, “Swipe, swipe, thrust, thrust. Good.”

“Will you please take this seriously? We are in the middle of combat,” Cavalier said as he again attempted to skewer Flux. This time he was able to hit Flux's shoulder.

Flux realized that there was no sparks this time, he had actually been stabbed. With a slight in-take of breath he said, “Sheesh, man that hurt.” 

“What, you thought a sword strike would tickle?”, Cavalier said with a polite sneer, “What type of fighter are you?”

“Well really, I'm not a fighter if I can help it. I'm more of a scientist. You know; making observations, testing hypotheses, and what not.”, Flux said as he decided to test a theory he had. Taking a chance he tried to take on the properties of the branch in his hand. 

As flux's body became wooden, Cavalier laughed. In a haughty tone he asked, “Well, have you decided to give up or something?”

Cavalier swung his down in a chopping motion. As the arc of the sword came close to Flux he quickly brought up his hand and caught the blade. The blade should have cut his thumb off, but whatever had been done to the sword to make it able to cut his metal form seemed to be unable to cut wood. While Cavalier was staring open mouthed at his sword being stopped by a single hand, Flux rammed a fist into his gut. As he was reacting to that, Flux began to punch him with his free hand and continued until he was unconscious. 

Elsewhere 

Deluge had been standing there as the giant grayish green creature was barreling down on him. He knew that he was told to never spray some of the creatures in the forest for various reasons and he was told that this kid was some type of expert on the supernatural. And he didn't know the extent of his abilities. He blasted some water onto the snow below him just before he dodged out of Shifter's path. Hitting the slushy snow caused Shifter to slide into a tree, knocking a pile of snow out of the tree onto himself. 

“Ow,” Shifter said as he pulled himself out from the pile of snow. Looking over at Deluge he said, “Well that was fun! I guess you think this is fun or something?”

“No, it's not really. I'm just doing what the family wants me to do,” Deluge said as he place his hand into a snow pile. The pile seemed to started to shrink lower and he started to swell up. 

“So you're family to some of the others here?”, Shifter asked as he prepared for another attack, he was ready to shift at a moments notice but he also wanted to learn as much about these villains as he could. 

“Only three of them, I don't know if I'd trust the rest of them farther than an ant could throw them.”, Deluge said as the snow pile had mostly disappeared. He seemed to have grown almost a full clothing size. 

“Well, that's not a good way to run a team. You need to be able to trust them to have your back,” Shifter said as he started to move around away from the treeline and was preparing to try something new. 

“Well niño, what are you waiting for?”, Deluge said as he too had begun to circle around ready to attack. He lifted up his right hand and shot out a forceful blast of water.

Ducking low Shifter landed on all fours as he shifted in to a full grown polar bear. He charged at Deluge and pounced on him before he even realized the short distance had been traversed. Shifter swung a paw and knocked Deluge onto his stomach. Shifter climbed on top off him and reached around putting him into a quite literal Bear Hug. Deluge tried to get free by forcing nearly all of the water he currently held in his body out of the pores all along his back trying to either push his body free from the bears grip or force him to be released by water flooding Shifter's face.

_“Didn't you know, a polar bears fur is layered to make water just flow off of them.”,_ Shifter-bear growled into Deluge's ear as he squeezed as much of the air out of his opponent as he could. As it seemed that Deluge was beginning to waver he shifted into his normal form and quickly transitioned the bear hug into a proper sleeper-hold. After he felt his body go slack he released Deluge and slipped a pair of hand cuffs onto him. Now he just had to worry about Reaper.

Nearby 

Holding Brainbuster up by her shoulders, Harbinger stared intently into the eyes of her mask. After a few seconds of this he realized that she was still fighting his grip. Confused he pulls her away and she takes that moment to completely relax her flexed shoulders and slip out of his grip. Once she lands she balls up her fists and punches him straight into the gut, doubling him over. 

“How is this possible? You should be paralyzed,” Harbinger said as he gasped for air. 

“Specially coated lenses,” she said as she pulled back and then punched him hard. He flew back and slammed into a tree cracking it. 

Finally

Both Glamur and Noch' looked to almost be preforming a fight scene out of some sort of Broadway musical. They would flit around coming close only when one want to attempt to strike with their weapon. The rest of the time they stayed at a small distance and fired spells or dark energy at their opponent. 

“Do you really plan on continuing this farce?”, Noch' asked as she swept in trying to attack with her jitte. 

“I plan on taking you out,” Glamur replied as she blocked the attack with her energy shield. Pulling back she intoned, “Nrhgb Nrhhrov!”

Focusing her darkness energy at the tip of the jitte and flinged it out towards the frozen projectile. “Do you really want to get stuck in some sort of eternal dance like your poor godfather? But one of your own making. That is not something to strive to achieve.”

“Quiet, I really don't need 'motherly advice', from the lady who's the reason my mother isn't around anymore.”, Glamur called back, “Dvy Lu Rilm Hrop! Xzoo Uligs Ortsgmrmt!”

A metallic webbing flew from air in front of Glamur and even though Noch' attempted to deflect the webbing, only to make it tangle around her worse. No sooner had she dropped under the weight, then the metal webbing was hit by a blast of lightning. Rushing over Glamur carefully reached in through the webbing and checked for a pulse. Finding one she left her fallen foe to rush over to check on her ally, Testosteraur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 68 is in the books. Delphi and Adam pass on info they've gathered via the cameras and earbuds. Glamur, Will O', Shifter, Brainbuster, and Flux are fighting their opponents. Stan, Soos, and Melody realize neither the team nor Gillian and James are at the Shack. The battles continue. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Brainbuster/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 15-21-20 23-9-20-8 20-8-5 15-12-4, 9-14 23-9-20-8 20-8-5 14-5-23.


	69. Chapter 69

** Chapter 69 **

**Delphi's Temple**

Adam had been following the battle through the screens in front of him. He had already passed on info to Dipper, Wendy, and Grenda. He turned his attention to the rest of the group and began offering more info.

“Charger, sensors are showing that your opponent is starting to heat up. Don't worry, I know your armor can take it. I'm worried about the woods around you. I'm sure we don't want a winter wildfire happening though,” Adam called out. He then tapped another button on the screen and said, “Vaccine, are you just going to stand there. If the guys a cold blooded killer, then you definitely need to keep him from...wait you mean the guy's cold blooded like a reptile? Ok that's interesting, so he's sluggish in this weather. Heck, just cuff him then.”

“Freerunner,” Delphi called as she scanned her monitors. 

“Will… Desperado,” Adam said as he again caught himself, “Break a leg, preferably his.”

“Adam, I can't find Freerunner.”, Delphi said as she looked over at the wall of screens, “And he's not responding to his earbud.”

“Last I saw him he was chasing the character in the gray hoodie that was with the bad guys,” Adam said as he started scanning over the screen. 

“Freerunner, respond. Freerunner, this is Delphi respond.”, Delphi called again through her monitor setup, “Come on Freerunner respond. Where are you Tony?”

**Battlefield**

Desperado was circling Polden' having already pulled the katana out of it's sheath. Though he didn't have his war-club, Polden' pulled out a pair of bowie knives. He was also already beginning to lose the limp he had earned from Desperado's thrown dart. 

“So, you're not going with your pea shooters.”, Polden' said as he looked over at his mortal enemy. 

“No, we'll do this up close.”, Desperado said as he prepared to attack. 

The two of them kept getting close enough to attack before stepping back to prepare another attack. After a few minutes they were both covered with cuts and gashes. 

“You've improved since we last fought,” Polden' said while he wiped some blood off of his cheek. 

“Well two thousand years of memory kicking in some muscle memory and mixed with practice will do that for you,” Desperado replied before lunging again at Polden'.

Meanwhile 

Yami kept jumping from shadow to shadow as he dodged blasts of ice coming from Winter. 

“Stand still you little weasel,” Winter called as she sent another blast to where he had been just seconds before. Her own shadow slowly slithered up her legs.

“Why would I want to do that?”, Yami said as he appeared behind her. As she went to turn around she realized she couldn't move anything below her hips. She still tried to shoot a blast of ice at him, but he swung his tonfa upwards and with a nasty sound he knocked her arm towards the sky. 

Elsewhere

 

Vaccine just stood there looking over at his opponent.

“I think he's cold-blooded,” Vaccine said as he responded to the call from Adam at the Bunker, “No, I mean cold-blooded like a reptile. Well, I'll try.”

“You'll try what little man,” the snakeskin wearing gentleman said as he sized up Vaccine. 

“Seeing if you'll let me just cuff you,” Vaccine said as he slipped a pair of handcuffs out of his belt. 

“You know what. If it'll get me out of this cold, go for it.”, the villain said as he held his hands out.

“Wow, ok.”, Vaccine said as he placed the cuffs around his wrists. 

Nearby 

White hair was flying around in all directions as The Keeper and Rassvet fought. She would block a slice from his sword and would then attempt a swing from her mallet. 

“You must know that this is useless, the Mistress will get what she wants in the end.”, Rassvet said said he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small throwing dart. With a flick of his wrist, it flew straight towards her. 

“Scutum tuæ protectionis!”, She called and a glowing Grecian shield appeared floating in front of her, “Why does your Mistress want to harm this town so much?”

“Oh, it's not the town that intrigues my Mistress.”, Rassvet says as he attempts to get his blade past the shield only to be rebuffed, “It's just a few of it's citizens and most of those are out here currently.” 

“Wait, you mean you jokers are after these kids?”, the Keeper said as she took a quick look around the battlefield at the kids fighting the Knights and their underlings.

In the air

Charger and Hot Shot were flying around with blasts going every which way.

“You may as well give up. I've already taken out one Hot Shot,” Charger called out as she fired off another Tesla blast.

“Yes, I've heard.” Hot Shot called back as she dodged the blast. As she sent a fireball back at Charger, “But from what I've learned, he pretty much beat himself.”

“Whatever. You're still going down,” Charger called as she flew straight through the ball of fire and connected with an uppercut. 

Finally 

 

Freerunner stood there for only a second looking at the girl in the gray hoodie. During that time she leaned forward and tried to wrap her arms around his neck. She pulled herself closer to him as she tried to embrace him.

Grabbing her wrists and pulled her back as he said, “Look. You're a cute girl, but I don't know who you think you're talking to. I've never seen you before in my life.” 

“Really, I'm so disappointed to hear that.”, she said with a small giggle as she pulled free, “But probably not as disappointed as your girlfriend.”

“You really need to think about giving up,” Freerunner said as he again offered her a chance to surrender. 

“Where would the fun be there? Maybe you just don't want to play with your girlfriend, how about your brother's?”, She said as her hair darkened and her facial features changed. 

“Or maybe one of your cousins' girlfriends?”, her hair went red and her complexion went pale and freckled before she went blond with perfect complexion.

“Or maybe you're just weird enough that you'd want...”, She was saying as her hair became brunette and she seemed to grow a set of braces. 

“Ok, that's just wrong girl.”, Freerunner said as he looked away, when he looked back he saw another familiar face.

“You could have had all of this if you had chose me, Tony, I'd have been your personal Whimsey.” Mary said as she looked back at him before she kissed him.

**Mystery Shack**

Soos stood looking between his fiancee and his former boss. 

“Whoa doods, who's not where?”, Soos asked as he continued to look between the two.

“Tony, Francis, and the girls.”, Melody said.

“Gillian and her grandson,” Stan replied looking shaken. 

“Wait! What?”, Stan and Melody said at about the same time.

“What's going on in here? I was just coming up for breakfast when I heard this yelling,” Ford said as he came down the hall towards the kitchen. 

“Your grand-kids, the girls, and Stan's Ex are all gone. We went to get them for breakfast and they weren't in their rooms,” Melody said as she looked over at the elder Stan twin. 

“Well maybe the kids are down in the Bunker,” Ford said. As soon as he finished his phone went off. After he pulled it out of his pocket he answered, “Greetings. Why yes, we were looking for them. They're where? Out in the field this early? Is there anyone else out there, like someone in all black? Really, interesting. I'll be down in just a moment.”

The other three in the room were listening to his side of the conversation. Stan was looking at him a little strangely after he asked about the person in black. Soos and Melody were just wondering what was going on. 

“Well, that answers that.”, Ford said as he pushed his glasses back into place. When he saw the questioning looks on the faces of the others he continued, “The kids are out near the entrance to the town, some group was attempting to block off the roadway and they went to put a stop to it. And it sounds like someone matching Yami's description is with them.”

After loading up a plate of bacon and pancakes, Ford turned to Melody and said, “I'd go ahead and hold off on making any more until they get back. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm needed down in the Bunker.” 

**Battlefield**

Vaccine had just heard the last click of the handcuffs when he heard, “Naga, quit playing around with him. Take him down.”

Looking up he saw Naga's mouth was open and there were two retractable fangs visible. This this was noticeable because Naga was in the process of attempting to bite him in the shoulder. Jumping back he barely avoided the bite. As soon as he was clear he shouted, “What the hell man,, you gave up. Where is this coming from?” 

“You really really an agent of the White Knight would give up that easily?”, Naga asked as he rolled his shoulders.

Remembering some stuff he had to learned while owing a snake as a youngster, Vaccine began to do something he really has only done in practise up till now. He started to produce a toxin he knew could be potentially fatal to to reptiles and serpents, it is called lucibufagin and is naturally produced by male fireflies as a way to protect their females. Since he didn't want to kill his opponent he only produced a small amount and introduced it into his blood stream. He then watched as Naga raised his bound wrists in front of himself and then watched as the handcuffs fall to the ground. It wasn't because they passed through Naga or anything, it was because he had transformed into a king cobra and more than two dozen other snakes. 

“Sssoo, are you ready to give up yet yourssself?”, Naga said as the snake slither out and begin to surround Vaccine. 

As the first snake attempted to get close, Vaccine kicked out at it and ended up punting it nearly ten feet away. As he turned to try to kick another when out of the corner of his eye he saw the cobra attempt to strike. He turned back in time to be able to catch the head of the cobra, but that left him open to the bites of several other snakes.

“You really are ssstupid,” the cobra and a few other snakes said as he looked at Vaccine, “We jusst injected you with enough venom to kill a bear. You won't lasst more than a minute. Wait, what'ss happening?” 

A small glow appeared at the bite marks as Vaccine's powers kicked in and wiped out the venom the snakes used and at the same time the snakes that bit him all seemed to drop and only barely moved.

“Well right now, your appendages seem to have been affected by my own venom, I'd suggest you reconfigure yourself before they fall to the toxin. You will be highly ill and indisposed, but you should live.”, Vaccine said as he walked out of the circle of snakes that seemed to be trying to gather themselves together. He reached down and picked up the handcuffs. Once he saw the snakes reformed into Naga, he hauled back and punched him solidly is the jaw knocking out the weakened villain. 

Meanwhile 

Hot Shot flew backwards through the sky as Charger pulls back for another punch. This second one flips her upside down just before she hits the snow packed ground. 

_“You need to stay down!”,_ Charger said as she landed next to Hot Shot and fired off another Tesla blast. 

“Uh,” Hot Shot grunted. As she turned over she shot a concentrated, near plasma level, beam of fire right into the wrist joint of the left hand nearly severing it completely off. 

_“How did you do that?”,_ Charger said as she pulled her arm back, _“Your predecessor hit me with everything he had and he couldn't even scorch me.”_

“He didn't watch video's of you in combat, studying your weaknesses. He tried to attack all of your armor at once, while I concentrated on just one joint.”, Hot Shot said as she went to get up. Once she was standing she attempted another shot, only to be hit by Charger's shrink ray. As she realized she was no longer her normal five foot six inches, she looked up to she the loosely hanging left hand of the Charger armor slamming down on her.

Elsewhere

Winter was still trying to attack Yami even though she had wrapped her right arm in a cast of ice after his last attack may have fractured her ulna. She had pulled away long enough to immobilize it before she attacked him again. 

“You Jerk! You broke my arm,” She called as she started sending icicles flying towards him. 

“Well considering you've been trying to kill me, on more than one occasion, you're lucky that that's all I've done to you.”, Yami called back as he withdrew into the line of trees.

As he withdrew she repeatedly attempted to freeze either him or the ground he was walking on, but the pain from her arm was clouding her aim. After she followed him into the treeline, she lost sight of him for a moment. Circling around the direction she last saw him heading, she finally sees him standing there with his back to her watching the path she would have been coming from if she had just followed him. She sneaked closer to him and in one concentrated blast began freezing him from the feet up. It was only as she got to his head that she realized he hadn't moved. It was about this time she also finally felt the pressure on the sides of her neck. By the time he came out of the tree she had passed out due to the lack of oxygen to her brain. He looked over and dropped his shadow creation and marveled at the mold left inside the ice that was to be his tomb. 

Across the battlefield

 

Polden' rushed at Desperado, daggers flashing nearly invisible as he went. The blades were always close but they were steadily blocked by Desperado's single sword.

“You have also gotten faster since our last dance,” Polden' said as he backed away from a slice by Desperado's blade.

“What can I say, you bring out the worst in me.”, Desperado replied as a swing of his blade knocked one of the knives away from Polden'. 

“Well, I'll have to kill you slowly this time around.”, Polden' said as he inverted the grip on the blade's handle.

Backing away Desperado flung another dart out at Polden' hitting him in the shoulder of the arm holding the knife. As soon as the blade fell from his loosely hanging arm, Desperado rushed towards and caught him with a clothesline as he attempted to pull the dart free. Sheathing his sword, he grabbed Polden's good arm and pulled him up only to slam him back down never giving him time to pull out the dart. Pulling out two more darts he leaned down and jabbed them into Polden'. 

“The sedative coated on these should keep even you out for a bit.”, Desperado said as he stood up and looked at his nemesis. 

Out in the woods

Standing there shocked, Freerunner was staring at the face of the girl who had just forcibly kissed him again. 

“What's wrong Tony, did you think I wouldn't know who you are under that mask?”, Whimsey aka Mary asked as she backed away from the kiss. 

Snapping out of it as he heard what she had just said, “I told you once that I was flattered, but...”

“But you'd rather be with that violet haired vixen.” Whimsey said as she turned from him, “If you had chose me, this could have been prevented.”

“You mean this whole fight,” He said as he waved his arm back towards the fight the two of them had left behind, “Could have been prevented if I'd have went out with you?”

“Oh no, not the whole fight. That's crazy, you're a nice guy and all but no one person is worth all of this hassle.”, She said as she walked over and leaned her back against one of the trees before she continued, “No, what I meant was our little conflict here would have been avoided. You would have still had to fight someone, but I would have made sure that they would have went easy on you. And of course you would have never known I was here.”

“You want to know something?”, he asked as he walked over to the tree she was leaning on and placed a hand to the left of her head and leaned close to her, “That was the most asinine thing I've heard.”

And with that he grabbed for her arms in order to try and restrain her. Only for his footing to slip. This should have been good enough for her to make a break for it, but he was able to get a hold of her causing her to fall with him. And while she wanted his luck to just be bad enough that he tripped, it ended up being worse. He fell on top of her, he was glad none of the team could see this. The only upside is that he ended up knocking the wind out of her. As they fell he saw a complicated looking black device fall out of her hand, with it shattering as it hit the ground.

He suddenly heard his earbud going crazy, “Freerunner, where are you. Tony, respond. Talk to me.”

“I'm good Delphi, my opponent had a jammer.” He responded once he got his hand free to tap the earbud. 

Finally

“Flechas Acud!”, The Keeper called before three arrows flew from her hand towards Rassvet. Only one hit, but you could barely tell from his reaction. Or at least at first, he quickly threw his suit jacket off as the acid began to eat even through the metal plating that was sewn into it. 

“Why must you interfere?”, he yelled at her as he freed his second arm, “Disregarding my protests, my mistress gave you and your charge an out. You could have just left and no one would even know.”

“But I would,” She replied, “and I would know that I had left a town of some of the most innocent people I have ever known to the clutches of you and the hag you work for. I have to do something, had someone remind me of the whole reason I even started practicing magic to begin with.” 

“You mean that pathetic charlatan, lord knows how he was able to keep that tourist trap open for nearly thirty years is beyond me.”, he said before he rushed at her with his blade raised above his head. 

She stood as if she was caught like a deer in the headlights, at least she had till he was with in striking distance. She then jumped backwards while she intoned, “Vere captionem!”

A metal bell cage fell over the top of him stopping him in his tracks. Rattling the sides of the cage he said, “So you think these people will accept you? You think they'll be willing to turn a blind eye to all of your transgressions. To all of their loved one's that perished through their service to you.”

“I've told you, I wish that she hadn't died. If I could go back in time I would have done it by now.” the Keeper said as she walked around the cage to make sure he wasn't going escape. 

“You are still the one responsible for her death,” Rassvet said as he looked at her in disgust.

“If I remember right she went after the icon for you,” she countered, “Something about needing it to protect you from the despair demon Neviltis.”

“Yes. But if you hadn't told her where it was she would have never encountered him on her own,” Rassvet said as his voice rose to s shout, “How many other dd you send to their deaths? How many more did you drag down with you, into the mire of the dark arts? How many more will die just so you could gain more power, Morrighan?!”

“You are Morrighan?”, a voice asks from behind her. As she turns she is looking into the eyes of the current wielder of the Tome of the Sovereign and Unicursal Shooting Star. The one they call Glamur. That was all she was able to process before she heard, “Prggvm Urhgh!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 69 is in the books. We open up with Adam passing on advice to Charger, Desperado, and Vaccine before Delphi realized she couldn't find Freerunner in the melee. We then watch over the remaining six battles. The Shack crew worry about the disappearance of the kids and Stan's guests, only to get the answer from a call Ford received as he came up for breakfast. The six battles continue.
> 
> I've got to say I feel like I've finally arrived as a fan fiction author. Over on FF . net I received my first douche-bag review. It was anonymous (obviously) and really wasn't that well put together. As for another deal, you all may have noticed I've been a little slow in getting this chapter out, this is due to two separate factors; first off, I'm finally having to actually move and have been doing a lot of cleaning and repacking (Stuff that got unpacked during the period friends were helping keep a roof over the heads of my family, the second is without cable/dvd's I've been having some trouble keeping the inspiration inside me. Reading other fan fics have helped, but man I need to see some episodes. :-/ For a few weeks postings will be somewhat sporadic as I get moved around. Thanks and sorry. This fight will be finished in the next chapter. 
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.   
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.   
> Flux/Francis – Transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.   
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Brainbuster/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.   
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).   
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 20-8-1-14-11 25-15-21 6-15-18 19-20-9-3-11-9-14-7 1-18-15-21-14-4 4-21-18-9-14-7 20-8-9-19 18-15-21-7-8 16-1-20-3-8.


	70. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait, I had a serious case of writer's block that only just cleared up. Currently staying with my ex-wife and her husband while looking for a more permanent place. Been having fun with video game distractions and looking for a place to stay more permanently.

** Chapter 70 **

**The Bunker**   
**Medical Laboratory 5 minutes or so ago**

The golden glow emanated from just inside the examination room as Glamur appeared holding onto the comatose Testosteraur.

“Lee, Candy, I need your help here.”, She said as she looked over at her two friends who were preparing the medical facility, “Overgzgv!”

Testosteraur floated up off of the floor and between the three of them they got him onto the exam table. Once he was settled Lee said, “Man, I'm glad you stayed long enough to get him onto the table or we'd be preparing him on the floor for you uncle to examine.” 

“Ford's on his way?”, Glamur asked as she prepared to head back to the field.

“Yeah, I'm only certified for basic first aid.”, Lee replied, “The man has studied their physiology and he knows what to do.”

“And I am only here to help with the mechanical apparatuses as needed,” Candy added as she looked over at the manotaur.

“Well I need to get back to the battle,” Glamur said as she pushed down the sides of her dress, “Tzgv Lu Gizevo!”

And with a golden glow she disappeared. 

**Battlefield present**

The pair of pink cat heads flew towards The Keeper or Morrighan as Glamur now knew her. Just as they were about to hit her she was covered in shadows and pulled clear. The kitty heads exploded against the bars of the cage holding Rassvet. 

_“Glamur! What happened?”,_ Will O' asked as she floated over to her friend.

“What in the world is wrong with you? We're here fighting the same villains that you are,” Yami asked as he ran towards Glamur. 

“She's the one who killed Lotte. She killed my mentor,” Glamur said as she turned towards the oncoming Yami. 

“What are you talking about?”, Yami said as he stopped in front of Glamur.

_“Back off, she's trying to tell us.”_ , Will O' said as she pushed Yami back a couple steps. 

Glamur attempted to push her way past Yami to get to Morrighan, but he refused to budge. “Get out of my way!”

“Not until you tell me what you're talking about?”, he said as he continued to keep himself between his mentor and Glamur.

“My mentor was killed in her own home by that witch,” Glamur yelled as she pointed an accusing finger at Morrighan, “Murdered by a lady she once called her sister.”

“Is this true?”, Yami asked Morrighan as he looked over his shoulder. 

“I was wrong, I thought she was trying to prevent me from being able to help someone I've spent my whole mystical career preparing for.”, Morrighan said as she walked towards Glamur. “As you said she was once a good friend, but she saw something about me I couldn't see myself. She saw my fervent attempts to gain knowledge was leading me down a dark path.” 

She continued to slowly walk closer towards Glamur despite the fact that both Yami and Will O' stayed between the two magic users. They were quickly joined by Flux and Vaccine. 

“I really don't want or need to hear your life story,” Glamur said as she continued to struggle against her friends in an attempt to get at Morrighan. 

“But I believe you do for it involves your beloved great uncles,” Morrighan said as she paused mere feet away from the gathered heroes. 

**Meanwhile**

Charger shut down the power running towards the severed hand of her armor as she flew back towards the main battlefield. Scanning the area she noticed a void in the temperature readings as she flew over a certain area. She also noticed it seemed to be fairly close to a reading she believed to be Shifter, dropping down into the treeline she could make out what to all appearances looked like a giant goblin with 8 balls in it's eye sockets. It was swinging the chains that dangled from it's wrists at the ghoul she remembered was named Reaper. And it looked like it was on the losing side of this conflict. Dropping to near ground level she flew straight at Reaper.

_“Shifter I hope that's you looking like one of the Henchmaniacs,”_ She called out causing Reaper to be momentarily distracted before she plowed into him. 

“Yeah, it's me. Thanks,” Shifter replied as he shifted into an armored knight. “I'm done with the waterboy, so I thought I'd go for a rematch with the embodiment here.” 

He walked over to the fallen Reaper and grabbed his feet as he was shaking of the blow from Charger's armor. As soon as he had a firm grip Shifter pulled him off of the ground and swung him head first into the closest tree. He then swung him towards one across the way and released him, flinging him chest first into the trunk of the tree. He landed with one of his arms at a weird angle behind his back.

Charger was just landing as Reaper stood up. As he straightened up his left arm hung limply from his shoulder. As he turned to look at his two opponents his arm seemingly pulled itself back into it's socket.

“One cased in steel and one not quite real. Though not black and blue, this test is through.”, Reaper said as he then faded away. 

**Elsewhere**

“Coming at you!”, Brainbuster called as she ran at Harbinger. She caught him in the abdomen with her shoulder, barreling him back several feet.

“Oof,” Harbinger breathed out. As he stood up he pushed her backwards stating, “You fight well little one.”

“Yer not too bad yourself,” she replied as she felt her back press into a tree trunk. 

Trying to figure out what to do she looked past him, where she saw Freerunner. He was carrying his unconscious opponent over his shoulder. He appears to see that she was cornered. He looks straight at her as she hears, “Be ready, I'll hit him low, so be ready. You'll need to hit him as high as you can as hard as you can.”, over her earpiece. 

Freerunner sat down his charge as quietly as he could and then began running full tilt towards the hulking brute. Just before he hit him in the back of his knees, Brainbuster started to crouch down and the sprung upwards as he connected. She put as much upward force as she could muster into the jump as she rammed the top of her skull into Harbinger's jaw. These two contacts flung Harbinger off of his feet and left him sprawled on his back. Shaking the cobwebs out of her noggin, Brainbuster reached out and grabbed Harbinger's calves. Gripping them tightly she fell backwards slinging him face first into the trunk of the tree. As he fell backwards he landed back first across her knees. He no sooner had connected when Freerunner jumped up and landed feet first into Harbinger's torso, driving the remaining air out of his lungs. As she rolled out from under the stunned mountain of a man, Freerunner held out a hand to help her to her feet. 

“Ok. That was fun,” Brainbuster remarked, “But remind me to never claim the big ones again.”

“I dunno, you looked like you were holding your own there,” Freerunner called back as he headed back over to the bound Whimsey. 

“Ha, ha, ha. Well fought young warriors,” Harbinger said as he pulled himself up to a seated position. Both of the teen heroes turned to face him again ready to continue the fight. “If I ever decide to reclaim my grandfather's former lands, I shall seek you out to aid me. It will be a glorious battle, one that would cause the earth to tremble. But for now the mistress calls, so I must be taking my daughter and leaving. You have proven yourselves well this day.”

And with that both Harbinger and Whimsey blinked out of sight. 

**Furthermore**

“Y...yo...you really dink dat some tran...tranq...tranquilizers,” Polden' stumbled over his words as his body tried to fight off the effects of the darts Desperado had so graciously stabbed across his body. 

“Not really, but they should be able to keep you down long enough for me to figure out something else.” Desperado said as reached into his coat to pull out two more darts. As he did he realized these were the last of the two dozen he had brought with him. There was enough sedative flowing through Polden' to kill half a dozen elephants and he was still coherent enough to carry on his taunts. 

Getting close enough he reached out to jab the last two darts into his opponent when one of the previously limp arms shot up and grabbed his wrist. 

Seeing the shocked look on his face Polden' smirked as he said, “You really did think that those little play toys were gonna be enough.”

Twisting his wrist he caused Desperado to drop the darts before he placed a foot into his gut and shoved him off. As he flew backwards Polden' sat upwards pulling darts out as he went. 

“I'll give you this much, those little things stung and I may even be able to sleep soundly tonight but that's about all.”, he said as he pulled the last dart out. He stared over at the cowboy as he stood back up, dusting his hat off before placing it back on his head. 

“Even drugged you still talk too much,” Desperado said as he unsheathed his katana, “You up for another waltz?”

“Let's dance,” Polden' replied as he pulled a kukri out of the air, the curved eleven inch blade looked menacingly sharp. 

Desperado rushed at the red knight, parrying the first strike from kukri as he got close. He swung his katana sharply downward and sliced through Polden's shirt. The red dressed knight continued to try and attack Desperado, but it seemed to him that he was still slower than he has been in centuries. He took five more wounds before he decided it may be time to retreat until he has burned all of the sedatives out of his system, he just wasn't able to fight as good as he normally should be able to do so. The final straw came when instead of parrying the last blow he ended up being to slow and Desperado ended up slicing his arm off at the wrist again. 

“Argh, you son of a…”, Polden' called out as his hand fell to the ground. Mustering up a burst of strength he kicked out at Desperado and managed to hit him with enough force to send him into a tree ten feet away. Before his opponent had a chance to regain his breath he grabbed his hand and began to run. As soon as he was clear of the impending danger he attempted to reattach his hand, only for it to fail. It was only then that he began to worry as he headed back to Baba Yaga's cabin.

**Delphi's Temple**

“Alright, thanks for the update Charger. It looks like Freerunner and Brainbuster's opponents have faded out also.”, Delphi called back into her headset, “We've tried checking with the others, but so far padre here has only heard back from Desperado and that was to say that his varmit had up and ran.”

“Yeah, I know you don't talk like that Wil…” Adam started before he caught himself, “Desperado. I think she's just taking some creative phrasing with it. No we haven't heard how the big guy is doing yet.”

“Hey Shifter,” Delphi called into her comm, “You may need to hurry to the main field, it's sounding like your sister is about to go ballistic on someone named… Morrighan.”

**Back at the Battlefield**

Glamur stared daggers at the approaching, “Don't you mention them. They have nothing to do with this, nothing at all!”

_“This is just wrong man, leave her family out of this!”,_ Will O' called out as she renewed her efforts to restrain her boyfriend's sister.

“But my dear,” Morrighan started saying with more than a touch of sorrow in her voice, “they have everything to do with me. If it wasn't for them, or at least one of them, I would have never driven myself to discover everything I did. I was trying to help the man I loved to rescue his lost brother. It was only after I had, encountered your mentor that I found out he was finally able to save him without my help.” 

“Liar!”, Glamur called back.

“No it's true,” Morrighan said in a voice that seemed to age with every word, “I stated down my path because I loved your great uncle and I wanted to help him rescue his brother from where ever the portal had taken him. But no matter what spells or talismans I could find, I was never able to find one that would work for what I needed and so I delved into the forbidden arts in order to a try and find a way. It led me away from my intended goal, from helping the one I loved. I even withdrew from my own family, only occasionally contacting my son through a contact that set up a meeting once he had started a business. I even used him to hunt down some minor relics through legitimate methods, and it ended up costing him and his wife their lives.”

“Wait what?”, Yami yelled as he now turned his attention completely back towards Morrighan.

“I'm sorry Yami. No. I'm sorry James, I should have told you earlier but I was so ashamed at my actions and what they had caused.”, Morrighan said with a catch in her voice. It wasn't long before she began to sob as she spoke, “I'm your grandmother, the story I told the other day was mostly true with one big exception. He was right, I was gone for a year to give birth to your father.”

Everyone was trying to figure out what Morrighan was talking about. Yami seemed to be taking in what was said for a moment before he asked, “But how could that be? My dad was too old to have been born when you said you were gone!”

“When I realized that it would take longer than I hoped I knew I couldn't tell him he had a son, I'm ashamed to say I used a spell to alter time. I went back and changed everyone's perception and brought my son back to my sister earlier. I kept the original time line in a small bubble so it wouldn't affect the new line and only reconnected them after I was gone from my sister's house. In the new time line everyone believed your father was born earlier and I was just his aunt. Until the spell wiped even that from their memories. My sister even forgot about me as I changed it so that for her even our family name was changed,” Morrighan said through what may be the tears that were still hidden behind the enchantment that veiled her face.

“So wait,” Yami said as he went and removed his mask, confirming what Shifter had already told Will O' he had figured out. Looking at the woman he had until recently thought was just pretending to be his grandmother he continued, “you're saying that Stan is actually my grandfather?” 

Looking between the two of them it seemed even Glamur had lost a big portion of the venom she had been shooting towards Morrighan. As she watched Morrighan dropped her enchantment and showed her true face. This finally broke through to Glamur causing her to put two and two together as she called out, “You're Gillian, you're Grunkle Stan's ex wife!” 

“This is all touching and everything, but my mistress wants you all tested and I have found you wanting!”, a familiar voice broke into the occasion from behind the group.

Recognizing the voice Gillian, né Morrighan, né The Keeper turned towards the cage she had left him in moments ago only to find it empty and some of the bars melted. Turning back towards the voice she saw Rassvet standing behind the group of that included her grandson and her ex's great niece holding his sword aloft. Though the kids were starting to turn around from the cage after they had seen towards what she had been looking at, she didn't think they would be able to react in time. Crossing the last little space she pushed everyone out of the way as the blade was thrust firmly into her torso. 

As Rassvet began to pull the sword free the air around him began to shimmer. Realizing what was going on Rassvet let go of the sword as he called out, “NO! I have her, I have the revenge I desire in my grasp.” 

No sooner had he finished then he sorta just popped out of sight. 

It took the kids less than a minute to realize what had happened and as one Glamur and James both rushed to her side. As he started to try and remove the blade Will O' actually put a hand on his to stop him. 

“What are you doing?”, he asked, “She's in pain, we have to get the blade out to help her.”

_“If you pull it out she'll bleed to death in seconds and not minutes,”_ Will O' said as she attempted to heat up the blade to possibly cauterize the wound. 

As she was doing this Glamur had placed a hand near the wound and was chanting, “Yovhhrmt Lu Oruv! Yovhhrmt Lu Oruv!”, over and over. 

“Is it working?”, James asked as he watched the two girls attempt to save thee old witches' life.

“No, it's not.”, Glamur called back as she attempted to put everything into the spell causing her veil to disappear.

“Why isn't it working?”, James asked as the others gathered around to protect the identities of the three unmasked heroes.

“I don't know, but if you don't quit bugging me it'll never work.” Glamur snapped at him. She was about to attempt the spell again when an aged hand grasped hers. 

“I can, (coughing), tell you why.”, Gillian said in a solemn voice in between coughs, “All my time following the dark arts, (cough), has made me resistant to the healing arts. (coughing).”

_“Glamur, where are you?”,_ was heard just before a large metallic thud landed a good fifteen feet away from the gaggle surrounding the dying woman.

“We heard you were about to go off on someone and came as fast as we,”, Shifter started to add before he took in what was in front of him, “What happened?” 

“Hey guys, our baddies just upped and disappeared on us,” Freerunner called as he and Brainbuster came out of the woods. Seeing the four down on their knees he rushed over repeating what Shifter had just asked. 

Realizing the cauterizing wasn't helping Will O' stood and looked down at her friends and the dieing woman, _“I tell them, you keep trying what you can.”_

She walked over and began to relay what had happened.

Meanwhile Gillian continued to try and talk to James. “James, my child. (coughing) I wish I had stayed involved in both yours and your father's lives. (cough) I am proud of the man you have become and I'm glad I didn't corrupt you with my dark dealings. Be true to yourself and try (coughing) to live up to your potential.” 

after another bout of coughing she turned to Glamur, “And you child, Glamur I think, (cough) I am sorry for the anguish I have caused you. (coughing) I see the Tome of the Sovereign and Unicursal Shooting Star have chosen well. (coughing) I have spent nearly twenty years collecting (coughing) mystical artifacts, I do not want them to fall into the wrong hands. (coughing) As the master mage I leave them in your hands. And please give up on your vendetta, (cough) it will lead you to disaster. (cough) Do not fret over not being able to save me, I have finally come to peace with myself (coughing) and I'm ready to move on. My only regret is not getting to see Stan one final time.” 

“Hang in there, we'll try and get you to our medical bay.”, Shifter said as he and the rest joined the congregation surrounding the dieing witch. 

“No, (heavy coughing with a small line of blood starting to seep out of her mouth) my time is done. What little of my magic that has sustained me this long is finally ebbing away,” Gillian said as the light finally emptied from her eyes. 

“Guys, what's going on there? We lost video and audio about five minutes ago,” Adam called into the headsets, “Delphi's been trying everything she could but the only indicator that you all were ok was the biometric readings coming from Charger's suit. 

“We're just about to come home and it not all good here. We've lost an ally,” Shifter called as he saw Glamur and Yami both mask up again. And it was a good thing they had as there was suddenly a large ruckus coming from the wall of ice that had been blocking the entrance into the town. 

As Charger picked up the body of The Keeper (Glamur returned a temporary enchantment over her face), the group turned towards source of the sound. The were just about to leave when several picks and axes began to burst through the ice.

“This is Sandra Jimenez reporting from the epicenter of the ice wall where a contingent of patrons of the Fractured Skull, lead by local lumberjack and strongman 'Manly' Dan Corduroy, have just broken through and we are about to get our first words with the local band of super heroes.” Sandra was saying as she pushed past nearly every man (except for Dan) who was working on the frozen entrance. 

As soon as she made it through she headed straight for Shifter as he seemed to be the tallest (unarmored) member of the group. Once she was close enough she thrust the microphone in his face, “Excuse sir, would you care to comment on what exactly happened here. We were broadcasting the images from the highway's security cameras but they were only a spotty coverage at best.”

“Well like most citizens in the area we awoke to see the footage you were broadcasting of the villains attempting to blockade the town so we rushed into action, like these brave men did to clear the entrance way.”, Shifter said with none of Dipper's old shyness.

“And this is the third time we have seen you all, but we still don't know any of your names.”, Sandra said before she again thrust the camera into Shifter's face.

“We will be setting up a press conference soon, but for now just know we are the heroes Gravity Falls needs. Now if you excuse me we have lost one of our own and wish to care for her in private,” Shifter replied before he turned and walked over to the group as he joined everyone Glamur whispered, "Tzgv Lu Gizevo!” and in a brilliant golden flash the team was gone.

“And there you have it folks, Gravity Falls Heroes were on the case and through a sacrifice of one of their own they were able to once again come through for the people. This is Sandra Jimenez signing off.” She intoned into the camera before she saw her camera man signal they were off the air, “Man superheroes are real and they're in Gravity Falls.”

“Blubs, we've got two over here!”, Deputy Durland called as he stood in front of an unconscious pair, one dressed like something from the Three Musketeers and the other in an all white body suit with one of her arms encased in solid ice. A few moments later they encountered what looked to be a giant wooden insect man.

**In The Bunker**

Ford was continuing to work on Testosteraur but he still had no idea what the effect was that he was dealing with. For all intents and purposes he should be up and moving like normal, every test he has ran has come back negative for any malady that would cause him to be in this coma like state. He was just about to run another test when the familiar golden glow appeared behind him and as he turned around he saw that the entire group was present, including a surprised Wildbill. A quick chant of “Xolgsrmt'h Mlinzoxb!” by Mabel caused most of the team to revert to their normal street clothes and it was a real simple switch for Wendy and Dipper, he longest transformation was Pacifica as she climbed out of the battered armor. But he noticed that young James was with them in his black get up and after she had turned he saw that Pacifica had set the form of, at least he believed it to be, Gillian on the other operating table and he also saw that she had a sheet pulled over her.

“What happened?”, he asked as he rushed over to confirm what he had already surmised, Gillian was dead. 

“The one named Rassvet attempted to run me through and she pushed me out of the way and took the blow herself,” Mabel said before she broke down again and collapsed on the floor. Pacifica rushed over and just held on to her, she was soon joined by Dipper and Wendy, and then one by one by the rest of the people in the med bay but James. 

“What are we going to tell Stan?”, Ford asked after he rose from comforting his great niece.

“Well for one you're gonna have to tell him he has a grand son,” James said as he still could not look at the body of the woman he just found out was his biological grandmother. 

Ford started to ask about that when Wendy stopped him, “It's a long story and I'll explain it to you later. Right now we need to all decompress.”

“Yeah, Francis do you think you and your brother could take James to one of the spare rooms. He needs this more than any of us,” Dipper said as he looked over at yet another new cousin.

“Actully bro, how about you and Candy take him. I'm gonna go check in with Tams to see how she's doing, we were completely out of contact for most of my fight due to some type jamming device and she was worried.”, Tony said as he put a hand on Mabel's shoulder once more and then turned to head towards the exit.

“Understandable Tony, yeah we've got this.”, Francis said as he saw Candy look up and nod. After she got up the two of them motioned for James to follow them towards shortcut that led them directly to the living quarters. 

As he watched all of this going on Ford pulled back and began to wonder how he was going to explain everything to Stan.

**Chapter Epilogue**   
**A Familiar Cabin Out Near The Redwood National Forest**

The three knights and their remaining charges stood facing the rear of their Mistress's chair. Her long metal nails of her left hand were rubbing along the lip of her giant mortar. Her steel grating voice called out, “Rassvet, once again you let your personal feelings get in the way of my plans and nearly ruined decades, if not centuries worth of planning.”

“But my Mistress we were sent out there to deem whether or not the were worthy and I judged the one named Mabel to be not worthy,” Rassvet said as he tried to explain his actions to the hag. 

“Mistress, my hand still hasn't reattached.” Polden said as he continued to hold his severed hand to his wrist.

“It appears that they are more than ready for the challenges that will befall them, and of all of these she was the only one I had no doubt of being prepared. She has almost as much experience as I do in the matters of magic. No you just wanted this mission to fail,” Baba Yaga said as she turned around to face her 'trusted' underlings, “I know about you and Polden's meetings with his current body.”

“What are you talking about?”, Rassvet asked as he tried to keep the attention on himself allowing one of Naga's snakes to reach the cage that now held a full grown rabbit, “I have always been faithful to you my Mistress.” 

“So have I,” the now nearly whimpering Polden called out. He saw that of the underlings missing one was his and he began to regret the actions the two knights had planned. 

Along the wall there was a loud clang as the cage door flew open and the rabbit sped out of the cage door and passed towards the door that was currently being opened by the rest of Naga's body. Suddenly there was a loud hiss from near the cage and Naga called out in pain.

Turning his attention from the fleeing rabbit towards the sound near the cage, Rassvet saw a six foot tall, muddy furred with a silver streak down her back, lycanthrope standing there holding a dead snake. Before he could react she sprang onto Naga and began to tear into him. He started towards her only to be stopped by Noch and her giant of a husband. Realizing everything was going down Polden' dropped his hand loosely into a pants pocket and pulled his sword. He readied to aid his comrade when he was grabbed by Reaper and Hot Shot.

“No, you two are my squires. You are supposed to join me in this revolt,” Polden' yelled at his former underlings.

“In case you haven't figured it out yet,” The lycanthrope said as she (he could finally make out that she was female) stood up and wiped her mouth off, “you two old men have been replaced and your Squires are now mine!” 

“Gentlemen, meet Lexie Greyback. She used to go by the human surname of Osborne, until she challenged her grandfather for control of his pack. She was successful and claimed his title as her own. She has graciously joined my caused and has been keeping an eye on the two of you at various times, including your trip to see the deathless one's new host.”, the metallic voice intoned.

“I nearly killed you then and there for betraying our Mistress,” the lycanthrope named Lexie said as she began to revert to a human form. 

Rassvet was shocked to find that she was no older than his own great grand daughter. Looking her over he saw she was dressed in a plain gray hoodie and jeans. And like the boy his great grand daughter was attached to, she had dirty brown. But something still didn't add up for him, “If you're his replacement, who's mine?”

“Oh don't worry he will be joining us as soon as he gains a better command over his new abilities,” Baba Yaga said as she looked at the two men who had betrayed her trust, “Now as for you two, until this recent lack of better judgment you have served me faithfully. I should kill you for you betrayal, but I shall be gracious.”

“Oh, thank you Mistress.”, Polden' started before he saw the look of concern on the face of Rassvet. Then he grew concerned. 

Grabbing a hold of her pestle she tossed some herbs of some type into her mortar and she turned to it and began to grind them up, slowly a grayish white mist rose from the mortar and she seemingly grabbed a handful in each of her taloned hands and turned to throw it at Rassvet and Polden' as she intoned, “*I teper' vy budut dvoye myshey v moyey kletke!”

And the gray mist enveloped them and they fell to the floor where they quickly were turned into a silver mouse and a russet mouse. Before they could acclimate themselves to their new forms they were grabbed up and tossed into the cage that once held the now long gone rabbit. 

“Should I go after the rabbit, Mistress?”, Lexie asked after it was certain the mice couldn't slip through the bars on the cage. 

“No, by now it could be nearly anywhere on the planet. It's whole existence is to always be on the run, my magic was the only thing holding it in the cage and that spell was broken when the door was opened,” Baba Yaga said to her new Red Knight, “Now we must prepare to restart our sabbatical and begin you two new knights training in earnest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 70 is in the books. Sorry for the wait all, life has been fun. It doesn't help I've been suffering from some writers block. To combat this I started planning, outlining, casting, and mapping out my Pokemon/Gravity Falls crossover and ended up writing two other stories also. The first chapter of the Pokemon AU will be out shortly and the first chapters of the other two are already out. A question, I'm starting out with the first 7 generations of Pokemon and the question is would you want so see new Pokemon introduced in the story? I have the story planned out to go either way and the twins starters are set. 
> 
> Now as to the story, we start off with a short flashback of Glamur dropping off Testosteraur at the medical bay. Next we come back to the present where Glamur is attempting to attack Keeper/Morrighan. Then we get Charge and Shifter trying to take down Reaper. Next we get Freerunner and Brainbuster fighting Harbinger. Meanwhile Desperado is locked in battle with Polden'. Delphi and Adam are monitoring everything as the combat goes on. And finally we return to the main field of battle where we get the final confrontation between Glamur and Morrighan. We then finally go over the aftermath of Rassvet's attack. 
> 
> I want to thank FullMetalKhaos for the use of Lexie, she is from his story Written In The Stars and joined this story as a lark. I joked with him about about using her as I liked her character in his story and he was gracious enough to give me permission. So here she is. 
> 
> *I teper' vy budut dvoye myshey v moyey kletke! = And now you two will be mice in my cage!
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.  
> Flux/Francis – Self transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Brainbuster/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Yami/James – Shadow and darkness manipulation, major otaku  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).  
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:  
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks, a series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse.  
> Welcome To The Gravity Falls Region, My take on the Pokemon AU. Follow the adventures of the potential Pokemon Master Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel, Pokemon Coordinator extraordinaire, while they travel through the Gravity Falls Region.  
> Gravity Falls Valor Force Rangers, In summer of 2016 an ancient force has arrived in Gravity Falls intent on finding weakened layers of reality that are prevalent in the area and exploiting them. Realizing fear is one of the ways to find the weak points, he and his evil henchman have begun corrupting both creatures and objects in order to terrorizing the populace. Taking a cue from a friend he met while stuck on the other side of the portal, Ford recruits five 'teens with attitudes' to combat this threat.  
> The Curse, thanks to a misunderstanding Wendy is targeted by a fairy curse. This is a short story following what happens afterwords.
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up. 
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to dusk4224, EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on. 
> 
> 1-14-4 20-8-5 13-9-3-5 12-9-22-5-4 8-1-16-16-9-12-25 5-22-5-18 1-6-20-5-18…


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter 71**

 

 **Wednesday December 5th, 2012**  
**Delphi’s Temple**  
**Bunker, Gravity Falls**

 

_‘Delphi's Files_

_Things have been really sour in the Bunker and elsewhere for the last few days. I wasn't in the room but over the monitors I saw Mr. Pines, Stan, collapse after he was brought in to see James' grandmother._

_He did seem to warm up rather quickly to the fact that James was his grandson, perhaps even more so than James himself. The poor guy. To find out the person pretending to be your grandmother actually was your grandmother, only to have her die on you shortly afterwards._

_Mr Ford, being the sceptic he is, ran a DNA test on the three of them and confirmed it last night. He seems to be taking their rapidly expanding family in stride. He has been splitting his time between helping his brother and caring for our other injury from the fight. Nate and Lee have been coming to help him with the Manotaur, but they've been teleported back to Nate's each night since his neighbors never saw them leave._

_The Pines twins and their father have taken it upon themselves to help Stan any way they are able. They've already called the hospital and the Valentino's to inform them that they had a guest pass away in her sleep. Mabel's magic was able to 'dress up' the body enough to seal the wounds. There may be a brief investigation but come on it's Blubbs and Durland. Yesterday they got Stan up and had him helping Soos around the gift shop. Preparing for the Christmas traveling season was what Soos had told him they were doing. It was all Soos and the twins could do to get him to mark up stuff for the Christmas sale. The only real bright spot has been that school has been closed since the blizzard Saturday night/Sunday Morning._

_Tony, Francis, Pacifica, and Candy have been spending time in my Temple helping me continue to research not only into Pacifica's problem but also searching for everything they could find on James and his grandmother. So far all we have been able to find is that she was the only family he had left, until now at least, and even then he didn’t even know she was related to him._

_Tab, Asta, and Jette are searching for everything they can find on other current 'enhanced' as we have taken to calling them. So far there have been reported instances across the country. There is a group of college age kids in Oklahoma that seem to be treating their abilities as if they were just another reason to create a fraternity. Some guy is traveling the south using some sort of color based abilities. In Indiana there is a comic book company that is creating their own team of enhanced. And in a town named Danville there is a small group gathering around an armored hero calling himself the Beak. And finally operating out of a Colorado town called Middleton is a lady and her husband that has been running a hero website since the early two-thousands, they're the ones that handled that Lil Diablo incident nearly a decade ago. And they’re doing it without powers. I've apparently have been in touch with their tech expert before, he's a follower of my blog according to Asta. They're a group we may want to reach out to for some tips as we go. There seems to be more popping up everyday, but these are the major players showing up in the US. As for international instsances I’ve heard vague rumors of a pair opperating out of Paris, but only out of some middleschooler’s fan blog, and also rumors of a state run school in Japan. But these are just rumors.’_

Tambry scooted back away from her computer and stretched her arms up behind her head. As she lowered her arms she felt a pair of hands gently grab her shoulders. Looking back as the hands began to massage her shoulders she saw that it was Tony.

“I’ll give you five minutes to stop that,” she said as she leaned into the massage.

“Heh. You need to take a break. You’ve been at this computer for a couple of days.”, he said as he worked out a knot near her neck.

‘I agree with Master Anthony, mi’lady.’ Tab’s word balloon read. 

‘Yeah, toots. Let us take over for awile,’ Asta printed as her bloodhound icon came into view. ‘Jette, Tab, and I can handle this in for awhile. Go have some fun.’

“Yeah, yeah. I guess I can take some time for myself. Asta, encrypt this file for me."Tambry said to the bloodhound icon who modded. Then she turned to face her boyfriend, "And you, what do you have in mind?"

 **20 Minutes Later**  
**Outside Of The Mystery Shack**

“That’s it!”, Dipper called after being hit in the face with the third snowball in as many such minutes. He hopped up and launched several snowballs towards the small fort his sister and the others had hastely constructed on one side of the Mystery Shack after Tony had dragged Tambry out of her lair and the snowball fight was proposed.

“Take that,” Tony added as he, Wendy, and Tambry hopped up and joined Dipper in storming the snowfort.

Wendy stopped about halfway there with a confused look on her face. Noticing it Dipper too stopped and asked, “Wendy, you ok? What’s wrong?”

“This is too easy, they should have started barraging us with snowballs as soon as we popped up from cover.” Wendy said as Tony & Tambry cleared the edge of the fort.

“There’s no one here,” Tambry called out as she turned back towards her friends, “Watch out!”

Suddenly a barrage of snowballs rained down from the roof of the Shack as Mabel, Pacifica, Candy, Francis, and Grenda began their attack. “Onward Aoshima! Victory is ours!”

“How did you…”, Dipper sputered as he fended off the snowy onslaught. Suddenly he came to a realization, “Hey we said no powers!”

“Whoa guys, do you hear that?”, Wendy called out trying to stop the barrage.

“No mercy,”Candy called out as she pulled a shovel off of the roof and began pushing snow off of it in the direction of the groups former snow fort.

“I hear it too,” Tambry started to say before she was grabbed and pulled out of the path of the falling snow by a smiling Tony.

“Oh, you guys are just trying to get out of the…” Mabel started before she too perked up as she heard the sound coming down the driveway. “Ok, now I hear it too.”

As they all turned towards the drive they saw a large logging truck with a giant snowplow attached to the front of it. As the ones on the roof decended it was close enough there was no mistaking the driver’s bushy red beard.

“Dad,” Wendy called out as her dad climbed down out of the cab of the truck and rushed over to embrace his daughter.

“Baby girl, are you ok?”, Dan asked after he released the hug.

“Oh com’on dad.”, Wendy said as slugged her dad in the shoulder. “Like I told you on the phone, I’m fine. I had just rushed over here as soon as I figured out how bad the weather was gonna be. Remember Dipper and Mabel are from California. They’ve never even seen fresh snow let alone having it be this bad. So I had to be here for them.”

Scruffing her hair as he did, Dan said “That’s my girl, watching out for your friends.”

Turning towards the rest of the group and in his booming voice asked, “And how are you guys?”

“Doing good mister Corduroy sir!” Dipper replied quickly.

“Good, good. And Dipper you can drop the sir, call me Dan.” Dan said with a smile that really did not go unnoticed by the rest of the crew. “I take it you’ve been keeping my girl out of trouble.”

“I try sir, I mean Mister Corduroy, but usually we end up keeping each other out of trouble.”, Dipper said as he shuffled his feet in the snow, “And she’s already been sharing some of her survival knowledge with us today. We now know what to do if say the power went out and we had to rely on the fireplace and wood burning stove for heat. Even the basics of what to do if we got lost out in the woods in this weather.”

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I started teaching her and her brothers the basics back when she was just a lil sapling.”, As he finished up the sentance he looked over the rest of the gathered group, “Why Tambry, Miss Northwest, uhm Grendel and Candace wasn’t it? It’s good to see you three also. How did you three make it all the way out here?”

“Oh, well we were having a sleepover.” Mabel piped up quickly as she realized the need for a cover story. “When the snow started falling we decided to extend it.”

“Ah to be young again, having a sleepover was always fun while I was growing up.” Dan said as he lightly chucked Mabel in the shoulder. “Tambry, I don’t think I can remember the last time I saw you without your phone out.”

“Oh, yeah. Well I have people,”Tambry said as she squeezed Tony’s hand, “who’ve convenced me that there is more to life than the digital world.”

Dan chuckled at that before his face turned serious. He looked back at Wendy and asked, “Your boss is still Soos, right? Is he here?”

“He’s inside helping Stan take inventory,” Wendy replied nonchalantly before she got a better look at her dad’s face. “Why?”

“Well on the way here I was asked to deliver his mail and newspaper. “ Dan said as he walked back towards the truck.

“Ok, I’ll take them to him dad.”

“That’s ok, I’ll take it to him. it was entrusted to me anyways.” Dan said as he pulled the newpaper out of Wendy’s reach. 

This caught Dipper’s attention as Dan seemed to actively pull the paper away but was not really doing much to keep the mail clear.

“Really dad, it’s part of my job description to get the mail. Soos is still terrified the mailman is a werewolf,” Wendy said as she attempted to grab the paper again.

“I keep telling you to tell him that Mr. Myers just has a glandular problem. He’s not a werewolf.” Dan said as he moved the arm with the paper up away from Wendy.

Dipper walked over and snagged the mail out of Dan’s hand while he was distracted by Wendy. As he looked over the envelopes he saw they were almost all resort ads for after Soos & Melody’s wedding. “There’s nothing but ads here, so what’s in the paper you don’t want us to see Mr. Corduroy?”

“What? Oh Nothing.” Dan replied as he turned towards Dipper and realized he had lost the mail. Absentmindedly he dropped the other arm allowing Wendy to grab the paper.

She unrolled the paper as she backed away from her dad. Looking at the headline her face suddenly dropped. “We need to get this into Soos immediately.”

She broke into a run and rushed inside the Shack with Dipper and the rest of the gang in hot pursuit. Soos was in the gift shop with Stan arranging knick knacks. “Soos, you need to see this. Whoever has taken over the paper has found your dad and it’s not good.”

Soos looked over quickly at Stan and poked him before sighing in relief, “You had me worried for a moment, I thought that maybe I had been imagining Mr Pines here.”

“No Soos, your birth father.” Wendy said as she handed him the newspaper.

“Local propreitor is the son of notorious death row inmate,” Soos read the headline aloud as he scaned the paper, “According to this reporter’s research Jesús ‘Soos’ Ramirez, AKA Mister Mystery II of the Mystery Shack is the son of the Nebraska Bomber, Earl A. Wellman. Wellman is known for his string of letterbombs he delivered in the spring of 1994. He is due to be executed next January after eighteen years on deathrow.”

“Soos,” Mabel said as she placed a comforting hand on his arm.

“Heh. Well at least I know he had a good reason for never coming to visit,” Soos said as Stan and most of the gang came around and made him the center of a group hug. “Besides, he quit being family to me years ago, this is my family now.”

“Aw Soos,” Mabel cooed as she squeezed him harder, “You gonna be okay?”

“Of course Hambone,” Soos replied, “I just need to worry about now and the future. Maybe I can even spin this to help the Shack.”

“What we need to do is go talk to whoever is running the paper now,” Wendy said after the hug broke up.

“Yeah, this is the second article to come out seemingly attacking one of us.” Dipper added as he looked around at the group.

“That might be a little hard,” Dan commented from over by the door, “The paper’s office buned to the ground Monday night. They’re saying it was an electrical fire.”

“No one was hurt were they?” Francis asked as he joined the convesation.

“Not that I know, but I’ve heard that Tad isn’t planning on reopening the paper.”, Dan said with a shrug.

“Wait, Tad?”, most of the group exclaimed.

“Yeah, he took over the paper after Bodacious T joined the TV news crew. I thought everyone knew that,” Dan said as he rubbed his chin.

“Why in the world would Tad be attacking us?” Pacifica asked as she looked confusingly at the rest of the group.

“I dunno,” Grenda chimed in, “He’s always been nice to me whenever I see him in town.”

**Meanwhile Somewhere In Town**

“Well sir. After I recieved your news, I carried out the destruction of the newspaper. I burned it down and i the process destroyed all of the physical copies of the records you had borrowed reguarding your former collection of friends.” Tad said into his phone as he was toasting a slice of bread. “I still don’t get why we are destroyed all of their police records. Oh yeah, I forgot you were mentioned in the files. So in destoying their records, we cleared yours. What about digitial records, oh those were destroyed earlier. Good to hear sir.”

He sat down and buttered his toast as he listened to the other side of the conversation. Ater swallowing the bite he took he replied, “So you’ve made us some new allies during your trip to Portland. Good. The new heroes seem to have defeated the Witch and her subordinates, we can use all the allies we can get. No sir, I’m not implying that you are weak. Just the strength in numbers is always advantagous.” 

______________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 71 is over. Tambry gives us a quick lil update to what has happened for last couple of days after the big fight. And then she is dragged out of her self imposed workzone in order to get some sun and have some fun. The group’s snowball fight is interupted by the arrival of Wendy’s dad and some bad news he’s brought with him. next chapter more aftermath and finally the twins first Christmas in Gravity Falls.
> 
> Well all I’m sorry this took so long to come out, my laptop has all but died and so for a long while I was writing only on my phone. This was not fun as I have said in the past I have giant fingers on a small onscreen qwerty pad. I have so many mistakes and cramped thumbs that I practically gave up. Recently one of my roommates has allowed me to borrow his tablet and keyboard and so I was able to get this chapter out. I am trying to get my own tablet/keyboard combo and to that effect I have opened a Ko-Fi account under my fereality name if anyone would like to donate to the cause.
> 
>  
> 
> The names of our heroes:  
> Shifter/Dipper – Shapeshifter, highly intelligent.  
> Will O'/Wendy – Spectral powers, naturally athletic.  
> Glamur/Mabel – latest in a line of mystics, intelligent but more artistically inclined.  
> Freerunner/Tony – Peak physical condition, muscles & skin density increased, intelligent.  
> Flux/Francis – Self transmutation, highly intelligent (biological studies).  
> Charger/Pacifica – Battle armor, rich, secret sci fi fan.  
> Vaccine/Nate – toxin/antitoxin production, immunity to poisons, viruses, and toxins.  
> Brainbuster/Grenda – Natural muscle  
> Yami/James – Shadow and darkness manipulation, major otaku  
> Delphi/Tambry – Team hacker and communications expert, Techno-Shaman.  
> Schematic/Candy – Gadget creator, highly intelligent, trivia queen (I know I need to include this third one some :-) ).  
> Desperado/Wildbill – Team combat trainer
> 
>  
> 
> Also remember to check out my other Gravity Falls works:
> 
> Gravity Heroes: Sidetracks - A series on one shots & drabbels that are stories that are in the Gravity Heroes-verse but aren't necessarily required to read the main story-line. It's essentially my take on the classic Marvel Comics Presents. Chapter Seven follows Wild bill after he returns to Piedmont and delves into a few of his past lives that were re-awoken by Polden' Solntse. 
> 
> Welcome To The Gravity Falls Region - My take on the Pokemon AU. Follow the adventures of the potential Pokemon Master Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel, Pokemon Coordinator extraordinaire, while they travel through the Gravity Falls Region.
> 
> Gravity Falls Valor Force Rangers - In summer of 2016 an ancient force has arrived in Gravity Falls intent on finding weakened layers of reality that are prevalent in the area and exploiting them. Realizing fear is one of the ways to find the weak points, he and his evil henchman have begun corrupting both creatures and objects in order to terrorizing the populace. Taking a cue from a friend he met while stuck on the other side of the portal, Ford recruits five 'teens with attitudes' to combat this threat.
> 
> The Curse - thanks to a misunderstanding Wendy is targeted by a fairy curse. This is a short story following what happens afterwords.
> 
> Wrasslin Wendy - After Wendy’s brothers learn that Dipper’s Godfather is a former pro wrestler and beg him to introduce them. A few years later Wendy and her brothers are now working for Global Championship Wrasslin. that’s where our story begins. (This is my Writer’sBlock Breaker story for when I need to break through my Writer’s Block)
> 
>  
> 
> I also would feel honored if any of my works inspire any art. If the do I would love to see them. Thanks again to all who have read this far. I have received art now from Deviou5, Siryleleen, & Polydactyly Zodiac. These will be posted soon in my Deviant Art account as fan art and credited to them. Thanks again you three. I'm happy to see different interpretations of the characters from the GH AU. Let me know by PM if you do and I'll send out a list of the full descriptions to you. The art is now up at fereality. deviantart. Com/ just remove the spaces. A new pic of Yami is now up.
> 
> Again I'd like to give a shout out to dusk4224, EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already.
> 
>  
> 
> Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> Sorry I’m not on the net while I’m writing this chapter so I don’t have access to my reviews in order to respond.

**Author's Note:**

> Well all this was my return to Fan Fics and I'm now bringing it to AO3. At the time I started this it was the first thing I'd written in over 6 years. I fell in love with Gravity Falls after the premier and have watched the whole series multiple times over now. I'm hoping I haven't went too ooc for the characters.  
> I just recently joined and decided to go ahead and bring my crosspost my story here. This is a long fic but I'm gonna release 1-3 chapters a day till I get caught up with the 69 chapters I have over on FF . Net.  
> It's definitely a Wendip and at least freindship Mabcifica.  
> I'd also like to give a shout out to FF . Net authors EZB, SuperGroverAway, ddp456, & A Pleasant Dream. It was their stories that made me want to get back into writing and to want to start with Gravity Falls. Please check out their stories if you haven't already. Please review. I'm always open to constructive and helpful criticism, though if you're gonna troll please move on.
> 
> 14-5-22-5-18 12-15-15-11 1-20 20-8-5-13 4-9-18-5-3-20-12-25


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